Over the past twenty years, at Scientology events as well as in special closed-door briefings to select staff and public, COB has announced a number of different Whys for the lack of high-volume training of auditors.
Below, we examine the three best-known of these Whys:
1 The Golden Age of Tech
In 1996, with training statistics already faltering worldwide, COB released his first major solution to the problem — the Golden Age of Tech.
It was here that he announced his now-famous Why:
“The blind have been leading the blind.”
2 The Golden Age of Knowledge
Eight years later, in 2004, with training stats significantly lower than they had been prior to the implementation of the Golden Age of Tech, he released his second solution — the Golden Age of Knowledge Phase I.
Here he announced a new Why:
“No Grade Chart to guide you through the materials.”
Explaining how Scientologists had never before known what materials to study or in what sequence, COB proclaimed that we had all been “in the Matrix”. “This was”, he concluded, “the Why that was right in front of your eyes but you just couldn’t see it.”
3 The Basics
Three years later, with training stats at their lowest point ever, COB released the Golden Age of Knowledge Phase II, or The Basics.
Here he announced his most recent Why:
“No Scientologist has ever understood Scientology Basics because the transcriptionists had MU’s.”
Each of these Whys denigrate earlier training as somehow misguided or incomplete, even though the tens of thousands of public who trained during this time period did so on LRH-written (or LRH-approved) checksheets — often with LRH directly on the line.
To this day, COB continues to characterize auditors trained prior to 1996 as blind, lost, and deficient in their understanding of Scientology.
LRH, however, felt otherwise:
“Excellent auditor training is now in the reach of every Academy.”
HCO PL 26 May 1961 Issue II
KSW Series 2, Quality Counts
(OEC Vol. 0, p. 16)
“With what we know now, there is no student we enroll who cannot be properly trained.”
HCO PL 7 February 1965
Keeping Scientology Working
(OEC Vol. 0, p. 7)
“It takes me about 3 or 4 weeks to get an auditor through his course and doing a good flubless job.”
HCOB 16 August 1972
CS Series 84, Flubless CSing
(Tech Vol. X, p. 198)
“The extremely high caliber of auditor we are turning out is causing gasps of amazement whenever these fine graduates return into an area.”
HCOB 8 March 1962
The Bad “Auditor”
(Tech Vol. VI, p. 452)
“…The vast majority of auditors have a high professional conscience and are willing to study, drill and do everything possible to perfect their tech.”
HCOB 22 January 1977
KSW Series 21, In-Tech, The Only Way to Achieve It
(Tech Vol. XI, p. 13)
“Auditors do by and large a pretty fine job.”
HCOB 22 July 1963 Issue III
Org Technical HGC Processes and Training
(Tech Vol. VII, p. 236)
“We are and always have been in the business of training auditors. We can now do so more swiftly and efficiently than ever.”
LRH ED 299 INT, 28 September 1978
The End of Endless Training
(OEC Vol 4, pg 419)
As seen above, auditor training stats have sunk lower and lower with the pronouncement of each new “Golden Age.” This is so much the case that an informal survey of nearly every Class V Org around the country from late 2008 to early 2009 revealed that the vast majority of these orgs fail to produce a single major auditor course completion in any given month.
Per LRH, such a statistical crash proves beyond question that each self-proclaimed Golden Age is based on a wrong Why:
“WHY = that basic outness found which will lead to a recovery of stats.
WRONG WHY = the incorrectly identified outness which when applied does not lead to recovery.
…The real Why found and corrected leads straight back to improved stats.
A wrong Why, corrected, will further depress stats.”
HCO PL 13 October 1970 Issue II
Data Series 19, The Real Why
(Management Series Vol. 1, p 82)
“One of the first things that will tell you you operated on a wrong Why is that the stats went down — because it departed further from the ideal scene.”
HCO PL 15 March 1977RA Data Series 41RA
Evaluation: The Situation
(Management Series Vol. 1, p. 154)
“A real Why must lead to a bettering of the existing scene…
… ‘Acting on a wrong Why’ is the stuff of which coffins are made.
…Wrong Whys work people half to death handling a program which will lay ostrich eggs and rotten ones at that.”
HCO PL 17 February 1972 Data Series 23
Proper Format and Correct Action
(Management Vol. 1, p. 89)
Per LRH, every wrong Why is an arbitrary. As a result of operating off of it, one must then introduce new arbitraries and new out-tech in an effort to solve the problems created by the original wrong Why:
“An arbitrary is probably just a wrong Why held in by law. And if so held in, it will crash the place.”
HCO PL 13 October 1970, Issue II
Data Series 19, The Real Why
(Management Series Vol. 1, p. 82)
“The introduction of an arbitrary into a problem or solution invites the further introduction of arbitraries into problems and solutions.”
Scientology 0-8, The Book of Basics
Chapter 5, The Logics and Dianetic Axioms
(Logic # 15)
“Each time an arbitrary is introduced it has the effect of reducing the rationale and tone of the group as a whole and will lead to the necessity to introduce two or three more arbitraries”.
LRH Article of 11 Dec 1950
Group Dianetics
(First edition of R&D Volume 5, p. 261)
“A study reveals that orgs fade and stumble simply and only because vital actions are dropped out or harmful arbitraries are introduced.”
HCOPL 29 Dec 1971RB REV 4 Sept 1990
Flag Representative, Purpose Of
(OEC Vol. 7, p. 1407)
“We are and always have been in the business of training auditors. We can now do so more swiftly and efficiently than ever.”
LRH ED 299 INT, 28 September 1978
The End of Endless Training
(OEC Vol 4, pg 419)
As seen above, auditor training stats have sunk lower and lower with the pronouncement of each new “Golden Age.” This is so much the case that an informal survey of nearly every Class V Org around the country from late 2008 to early 2009 revealed that the vast majority of these orgs fail to produce a single major auditor course completion in any given month.
Per LRH, such a statistical crash proves beyond question that each self-proclaimed Golden Age is based on a wrong Why:
“WHY = that basic outness found which will lead to a recovery of stats.
WRONG WHY = the incorrectly identified outness which when applied does not lead to recovery.
…The real Why found and corrected leads straight back to improved stats.
A wrong Why, corrected, will further depress stats.”
HCO PL 13 October 1970 Issue II
Data Series 19, The Real Why
(Management Series Vol. 1, p 82)
“One of the first things that will tell you you operated on a wrong Why is that the stats went down — because it departed further from the ideal scene.”
HCO PL 15 March 1977RA Data Series 41RA
Evaluation: The Situation
(Management Series Vol. 1, p. 154)
“A real Why must lead to a bettering of the existing scene…
… ‘Acting on a wrong Why’ is the stuff of which coffins are made.
…Wrong Whys work people half to death handling a program which will lay ostrich eggs and rotten ones at that.”
HCO PL 17 February 1972 Data Series 23
Proper Format and Correct Action
(Management Vol. 1, p. 89)
Per LRH, every wrong Why is an arbitrary. As a result of operating off of it, one must then introduce new arbitraries and new out-tech in an effort to solve the problems created by the original wrong Why:
“An arbitrary is probably just a wrong Why held in by law. And if so held in, it will crash the place.”
HCO PL 13 October 1970, Issue II
Data Series 19, The Real Why
(Management Series Vol. 1, p. 82)
“The introduction of an arbitrary into a problem or solution invites the further introduction of arbitraries into problems and solutions.”
Scientology 0-8, The Book of Basics
Chapter 5, The Logics and Dianetic Axioms
(Logic # 15)
“Each time an arbitrary is introduced it has the effect of reducing the rationale and tone of the group as a whole and will lead to the necessity to introduce two or three more arbitraries”.
LRH Article of 11 Dec 1950
Group Dianetics
(First edition of R&D Volume 5, p. 261)
“A study reveals that orgs fade and stumble simply and only because vital actions are dropped out or harmful arbitraries are introduced.”