"There isn't anybody who shows up with tennis shoes and a tennis
racquet who can't play tennis at the level of Self-expression. They
may not play at the level of
champion
but there isn't anybody who can't play at the level of
Self-expression."
...
This essay,
At The Level Of Self-Expression,
is the companion piece to
American Genius.
It is also the twenty second in the open second group of
Experiences Of A Friend
(click
here
for the complete first group of thirty five
Experiences Of A Friend):
I am indebted to Aaron Bartlett and to
Dr James Doty
who contributed material for this conversation.
Foreword:
I was inspired to write this essay,
At The Level Of Self-Expression,
while I was listening
Werner
speaking with
Dr James Doty
of Stanford University's Department of Medicine's Center for
CARE (Compassion and Altruism
Research and Education).
On a similar note,
I was inspired to write the essay titled
American Genius
while I was with
Werner
speaking with
Dr Doty
on an earlier occasion about his life's work and how compassion has
played a role.
Werner
Erhard's
story ie his spiritual hejira, doesn't need to be told - that is
to say it doesn't need to be told any more than it's already been told.
There are two good
reasons
for this. One is: it's already been told completely and adequately.
It's already
been written.
It's already
been filmed and
videotaped.
It's already legend. And two is: there's really only marginal
value to be gleaned from his story (albeit an extraordinary story
that's been told faithfully and accurately) when it's stacked up
against what unerringly teases out the actual experience of
transformation and the onset of authentic Self-expression.
Look: you can't read yourself into transformation and
Self-expression from what's
been written.
It doesn't work that way. And you can't watch yourself
into transformation and Self-expression from what's
been filmed and
videotaped.
It doesn't work that way either. But you just may be able to
listen yourself into them, from
Werner's
speaking. That's because transformation and Self-expression are all
in his mouth.
What does that mean Laurence, "all
in his mouth"?
Try this on for size: transformation and Self-expression show up
in my mouth,
in my voice, in my speaking, in
my sharing.
Mostly they show up along with the
presence of
Self
which goeswith (as
Alan Watts
may have said) what's always tangibly there whenever
Werner
is speaking. And the thing is they're not tangibly there "now and then"
ie only on formal occasions (I define a "formal occasion" as whenever
you're
breathing).
No, they're there literally when-ever. That means they've been
there from
the onset of
transformation
on
the planet
in March of 1971, and have been there
24 / 7 / 365
for fifty two years since.
If you stop for
a moment
and just look into your experience, you'll see that's speaking at a
completely different level than talking about. It's speaking
at the level of Self-expression. And isn't your experience of
Self endless? Self is endless. So speaking at the level of
Self-expression, is also endless. Listen for that ... and
yes, you may just be able to listen yourself into transformation and
full Self-expression, where reading yourself into them and / or
watching yourself into them just plain don't work. So rather than
listen
Werner's
story, listen where he's speaking from throughout it. It's
a reliable
access
to transformation.
Ordinarily (ie loosely / with no
rigor),
speaking and listening are better distinguished as simply
talking and hearing. When you talk, I hear what you
know. Speaking at the level of Self-expression on the other hand, turns
out to be extraordinary - doubly so. It's extraordinary inasmuch as
when you speak, I not only hear what you know: I get
who you are really.
That much is a given. But what's even more extraordinary about speaking
at the level of Self-expression is when you speak, I not only hear what
you know: I get
who I am
really.
That's the gift of
being around Werner:
around him,
who we are really
is gotten.
There's no
presence of Self
in ordinary talking and hearing. In ordinary talking and hearing, you
talk about what you know, and I hear what you know. And if I have a
good memory, I may even end up knowing what you know. Extraordinary
speaking at the level of Self-expression on the other hand, brings
forth
presence of Self
for both the speaker and the listener: you speak, I get
who you are really;
I listen, I get
who I am really.
And none of that depends on what we are talking about.
Being around Werner,
that won't have to be explained: you'll just get it at the
level of Self-expression (note-taking not needed).
