Clarity

CLARITY Definition: Clarity

1. clearness of expression: the quality of being clearly expressed

2. clearness of thought: clearness in what somebody is thinking

3. clearness of reproduction: the quality of being clear in sound or image

4. transparent quality: the quality of being clear, pure, or transparent

[Early 17th century. < Latinclaritat-< clarus "clear"]

[1] “Whoever knows he is deep, strives for clarity; whoever would like to appear deep to the crowd, strives for obscurity. For the crowd considers anything deep if only it cannot see to the bottom: the crowd is so timid and afraid of going into the water.” -  Friedrich Nietzsche

[2] “Clarity of mind means clarity of passion, too; this is why a great and clear
mind loves ardently and sees distinctly what he loves.” – Blaise Pascal

A confused mind cannot find clarity

“A confused mind seeking clarity will only further confuse itself, because a confused mind can’t find clarity. It’s confused; what can it do? Any search on its part will only lead to further confusion. I think we don’t realize that. When it’s confused, one has to stop – stop pursuing any activity. And the very stopping is the beginning of the new, which is the most positive action, positive in a different sense altogether. All this implies that there must be profound self-knowing: to know the whole structure of one’s thinking-feeling, the motives, the fears, the anxieties, the guilt, the despair. To know the whole content of one’s mind, one has to be aware, aware in the sense of observing, not with resistance or with condemnation, not with approval or disapproval, not with pleasure or no pleasure, just observing. That observation is the negation of the psychological structure of a society which says, ‘You must, you must not.’ Therefore, self-knowledge is the beginning of
wisdom, and also, self-knowledge is the beginning and the ending of sorrow. Self-knowing is not to be bought in a book, or by going to a psychologist and being examined analytically. Self-knowledge actually understands what is in oneself: the pains, the anxieties – seeing them without any distortion. Out of this awareness clarity comes into being.” – J.Krishnamurti, from his “Collected Works, Vol. XVII – 21”. JKrishnamurti

“Overfilled class-sizes, economic disadvantages and “learning disorders” are common. Yet underlying all of this, there are three primary barriers that keep one from successfully studying a subject. Despite all that has been written on the subject of study, these three barriers were never isolated as having such importance in effective education. This is not attention deficit disorder, emotional problems, or stupidity at work. This is the emotional or physical reaction a student of any age will experience when encountering one of these barriers to learning. Students fail to learn because no one has ever taught them how to learn — how to identify the barriers to learning and how to overcome them. What are the three primary barriers to learning? The answer is found in Study Technology, central to which is the delineation of these barriers to study. Never before recognized, these yet constitute the primary reasons for educational failures.

The First Barrier Lack of mass (physical object) of what is being studied If one is attempting to understand the function and operation of a car or a computer or a solar system, the printed page and spoken word are no substitute for the object itself. It would be difficult to understand how to use a computer for the first time if you did not have the computer there in front of you. In fact, lacking the object associated with a word can inhibit all understanding. Have you seen your children or students like this when they study?

Perhaps you have experienced this yourself when you’ve tried to learn something. Barrier to Study Part I

The Second Barrier Too steep a study gradient A gradient is a way of learning or doing something step by step. A gradient can be easy where each step can be done easily, or it can be hard where each step is difficult to do. Too steep a gradient consists of not having mastered prior skills before going on to more complicated or detailed steps. A student who has skipped a gradient may feel a sort of confusion or a feeling of reeling (i.e. moving or swaying like you might fall).

These are two reactions a person will have when they have missed a step or hit too steep a gradient in the subject they’re studying. This is often referred to as “missed basic skills” or “insufficient basic skills.” Barrier to Study Part II

The Third Barrier A word not understood or wrongly understood The third and most important barrier is the misunderstood word. Have you ever been reading a book or a report, gotten to the end of the page and couldn’t remember what you read? Therein lies the phenomena of the misunderstood word – all becomes distinctly blank beyond a word not understood or wrongly understood. The matter is far more critical than one might surmise and of the three barriers it is the misunderstood that bears most upon human relations, the mind and understanding. It is the misunderstood word that establishes aptitude – or lack of it. It produces a vast panorama of reactions and is the prime factor involved with stupidity. It also determines whether or not one can actually perform a learned skill, and to what degree of proficiency. Have you ever observed someone look tired while studying? Like they were about to fall asleep?

All of these are the result of one or more words or symbols not understood or wrongly understood. The misunderstood word can stop a student in his tracks completely. Knowing how to determine when there is a misunderstood word or symbol, how to find it and how to handle it are critical to the success of any student.  How to Clear Words ~L Ron Hubbard