I talk with a lot of people. I don't mean only in passing. I mean as an
integral act
on my part. It's where I get most of this material from. I don't mean
idle chit-chat either, and neither do I mean filling the silence with
noise. I mean there's something in what just about everyone speaks
that's valuable. I listen it in what
Werner
speaks which for me is the raison d'etre of the body of
work on this
Conversations For Transformation website.
Still more of what's spoken with value originates from the ordinary,
average
"Joe the Buddhas"
whom I listen willingly. I'm a listener for just about anyone. "About
what?" you may ask.
At
the heart of the matter,
you speak how living / being alive occurs for you. And in listening
what that's like for you, I grasp another facet of what it's like for
me. You speak how your life is for you. You speak what it's like to be
a
human being
from your perspective (everyone has their own unique perspective of
that, yes?). You speak less of what you do and more of how you
be. And even more than how you be, you
sharewhat being is like for you. It's not really surprising
that the experience of being for
human beings
is unique for (yet
common to) everyone.
I love it
that you
share,
that you just can't wait to
share!
Let's face it:
this particular conversation is
the only game in
town.
We all already know chit-chat is simply the avoidance of
intimacy,
but we just don't tell the truth that we already know it. So we pretend
no one else knows it either. What else, what other conversation is more
valuable to be in, more worthwhile being in than one which fleshes out
the possibility of being for
human beings?
Look: if you can't come up with one, I suggest maybe just maybe it's
because there isn't one. And as a contradistinction,
Monday-morning-quarterbacking of the weekend game is a weak substitute
(it simply doesn't cut the mustard).
To be sure, there's some value, some companionship in being with people
and talking about important things, consequential things,
Monday-morning things. But those aren't the kinds of conversations I'm
referring to. Indeed we all have our own measurements for what's
important and what's consequential, and we all have
our own opinion
about them. But hey! we each have our own nose too. Each of us has a
nose - and
so what?!
The truth is we have less
coin
in
the world
of
opinion
than we 'fess up to. It's no big deal to have a nose. Ditto for
an opinion.
The thing to get is transformation isn't a function of
opinions.
No, the kinds of conversations I'm referring to are those in which we
get to
discover
the being of who we each really are. Those (we all know) are the truly
good conversations. And the truly great conversations are
those in which we get to
discover
who we all really are collectively, and what's possible
for who we all really are collectively. In this regard, I don't want
new politics
for
the world.
Seriously.
Yes I do vote.
But what I want for
the world
is transformation. Without transformation,
voting
is just a gesture / a more-of-the-same gesture (even
though it may be the best gesture we have). Without transformation,
politics
will never be enough. I don't stand for
new, better politics.
I stand for transformation ie who we are collectively. There!
That'sego-mania
for you!
I don't want to
fixthe world.
I want to remind it what (and who) it is. I don't want to
fix
you. If you want me to, I'll remind you who (and what) you are.
Likewise, I don't want you to
fix
me. If I sound like I need
fixing,
don't. Instead, remind me who I am. That's where it all
begins.
Without it, nothing
works.