I am indebted to Sheila Providenza and to Ingerlil Teute who inspired
this conversation.
Arguably the most commonly asked class of questions is
"Why?"
questions, questions seeking an explanation. Just as arguably,
although
"Why?"
questions have an impact interimly, they don't have any real
power ultimately.
The issue isn't whether things can be explained or not. That there's an
explanation for things, that there's a cause of things is
certainly one of our most cherished beliefs.
"Why?"
questions inquire into that cause within our preferred belief
system, within our limited view of an already expected
explanation.
The issue is rather one of causality itself. We ask
"Why?"
until we discover a cause which seems plausible within our preferred
belief system. Then we stop inquiring, seemingly satisfied with
what we've discovered. Yet if we expand our limited view, if we expand
the box a bit, if we start thinking outside the
box, we hear the next question calling to be asked is "What's the
cause of this cause?". After that question we
hear the next one calling to be asked is "What's the
cause of this cause of this cause?"
etc on and on and on ... and there's no end.
In other
words,
"Why?"
questions are powerful only within a limited domain. And within a
limited domain, the trouble with accepting an answer to a
"Why?"
question as true is it's based on an arbitrarily
accepted cause. It's based on a false cause. In
matters of
Self,
in matters pertaining to
Conversations For
Transformation,
"Why?"
questions aren't powerful ultimately. Ultimately
Self
is cause.
Self
is
source.
It is because it is because that's what it is -
est.
"Why?"
questions asked in a limited domain stopping short of this, are
inadequate. They don't cut to the
heart of the
matter.
There's no reason ultimately. Things are just
what's so.
The emperor isn't wearing any clothes ... he hasn't got anything
on! Things are what they are because they are because that's
the way they are.
There's no reason for writing
these essays.
They don't mean anything. I write them because I write
them because that's what I do.
Conversations For
Transformation
is a uniquely
internet
expression of my acknowledgement (and, in many cases, my
interpretation)
of
Werner Erhard's work.
The possibility of writing a book of
Conversations For
Transformation
comes up often. I look at it. It's a moment to moment
thing with me. Even a successful
art form
expressed through a different medium than its origins' isn't guaranteed
to
work.
Your favorite book, for example, made into a movie doesn't necessarily
carry over from paper to the big screen. The screenwriter's imagined
view of things may jar with the view you imagined as a reader. And
don't even get me started on The Beatles reworked as
elevator muzak ...
The
internet
is a malleable medium.
Works
on the
internet
can be ongoingly and always changed and tuned and retuned. A real
consideration about switching the medium for
Conversations For
Transformation
from the
internet
to a book is a book, to one degree or another, is chiseled in
stone and can't be edited or refined once published.
There's a lot to be said for writing a book. There's a lot to be said
for not writing a book. I've considered writing a book. I've considered
not writing a book, leaving
Conversations For
Transformation
as a purely free expression on the
internet.
You may copy
these essays.
You may reprint them. You may distribute them by e-mail or by any other
means as many times as you wish. You don't require my permission to do
any of that. My only request is you reproduce them accurately and
exactly and in their entirety. Please change nothing - not one period,
not one comma. Please leave nothing out.
You may link to this website. Please make the link text say exactly:
Conversations For Transformation: Essays By Laurence Platt Inspired
By The Ideas Of Werner Erhard, And More
Please keep each title visible saying
the essays
are written by me inspired by the
ideas of Werner Erhard,
and more. Beyond that, they're yours to own and to share as you see
fit.