When you look at a broad field or area it is quite overwhelming to have to find a small sector that might be out.

The lazy and popular way is to generalize “They’re all contused.’’ “The organization is rickety.” “They’re doing great.”

That’s all very well but it doesn’t get you much of anywhere.

The way to observe so as to find out what to observe is by discarding areas.

This in fact was the system I used to make the discoveries which became Dianetics and Scientology.

It was obvious to me that it would take a few million years to examine all of life to find out what made it what it was.

The first step was the tough one. I looked for a common denominator that was true for all life forms. I found they were attempting to survive.

With this datum I outlined all areas of wisdom or knowledge and discarded those which had not much assisted Man to survive.

This threw away all but scientific methodology, so I used that for investigatory procedure.

Then, working with that, found mental image pictures. And working with them, found the human spirit as different from them.

By following up the workable one arrived at the processing actions which, if applied, work, resulting in the increase of ability and freedom.

By following up the causes of destruction one arrived at the points which had to be eradicated.

This is of course short-handing the whole cycle enormously. But that is the general outline.

Survival has been isolated as a common denominator to successful actions and succumb has been found as the common denominator of unsuccessful actions. So one does not have to reestablish these.

From there, to discover anything bad or good, all one has to do is discard sterile areas to get a target necessary for investigation.

One looks broadly at the whole scene. Then discards sections of it that would seem unrewarding. He will then find himself left with the area that contains the key to

it.This is almost easier done than described.

Example: One has the statistics of a nine division org. Eight are normal. One isn’t. So he investigates the area of that one. In investigating the one he discards all normal bits. He is left with the abnormal one that is the key.

This is true of something bad or something good.

A wise boy who wanted to get on in life would discard all the men who weren’t getting on and study the one who was. He would come up with something he could use as a key.

A farmer who wanted to handle a crop menace would disregard all the plants doing all right and study the one that wasn’t. Then, looking carefully he would disregard all the should be’s in that plant and wind up with the shouldn’t be. He’d have the key.

Sometimes in the final look one finds the key not right there but way over somewhere else.

The boy, studying the successful man, finds he owed his success to having worked in a certain bank seven states away from there.

The farmer may well find his hired man let the pigs out into the crop.

But both got the reason why by the same process of discarding wider zones.

Pluspoints or outpoints alike take one along a sequence of discoveries.

Once in a purple moon they mix or cross.

Example: Gross income is up. One discards all normal stats. Aside from gross income being up only one other stat is down — new names. Investigation shows that the public executives were off post all week on a tour and that was what raked in the money. Conclusion — send out tours as well as man the public divisions.

Example: Upset is coming from the camp kitchen. Obvious outpoints. Investigation discloses a 15-year-old cook holding the job solo for 39 field hands! Boy is he pluspoint. Get him some help!

Having attention dragged into an area is about the way most people “investigate.” This puts them at effect throughout.

When a man is not predicting he is often subjected to outpoints that leap up at him. Conversely when outpoints leap up at one unexpectedly he knows he better do more than gape at them. He is already behindhand in investigating. Other signs earlier existed which were disregarded.

The usual error in viewing situations is not to view them widely enough to begin with.

One gets a despatch which says Central Files don’t exist.

By now keeping one’s attention narrowly on that, one can miss the whole scene.

To just order Central Files put back in may fail miserably. One has been given a single observation. It is merely an outpoint: Central Files omitted.

There is no WHY.

You follow up “no CF” and you may find the Registrar is in the Public Division and Letter Registrars never go near a file and the category of everyone in CF is just “been tested.” You really investigate and you find there’s no HCO Exec Sec or Dissem Sec and there hasn’t been one for a year.

The cycle of “outpoint, correct, outpoint, correct, outpoint, correct” will drown one rapidly and improve nothing! But it sure makes a lot of useless work and worry.

Wisdom is not a fixed idea.

It is knowing how to use your wits.