Observing Thing* 81 



well tn remember this initial step in ob- 

 vation that it is governed by interest. The 

 senses can become dead to things in which we are 

 not interested, and one of the reasons why we lose 

 interest is because things become so familiar that 

 they do not force us to use our observation. 



Inti Because We Lei It. Some men 



: gone so far as to say that it is advisable 

 once in a while to make changes in an organiza- 

 tion, because a new man coming in will bring fresh 

 interest and enthusiasm and will be able to do 

 things that the other men could not accomplish. 

 it should not be necessary. It is not necessary 

 for me to lose interest in part of my work simply 

 because I do it every day. It is not necessary for 

 me to lose interest in my town simply because I 

 live in it all the time, and it is not necessary for 

 me to lose my alertness in connection with any 

 part of my life just because the surroundings do 

 not change very much and the operations continue 

 right along. 



Ordinarily, we arc interested in everything. 

 The best example of this is the youngster. Nothing 

 that he sees is uninteresting, and everything that 

 comes before his eyes or affects any one of his 

 senses immediately registers on his mind and he 

 begins to ask questions about it. After a while, 

 he finds that many things are not interesting to 

 the older people. He learns that they do not 

 answer his questions and that things must be ac- 

 cepted though not understood. Then his interests 



