Conversations For Transformation: Essays Inspired By The Ideas Of Werner Erhard

Conversations For Transformation

Essays By Laurence Platt

Inspired By The Ideas Of Werner Erhard

And More

Incredible!

San Luis Obispo, California, USA

October 11, 2011


This essay, Incredible, is the companion piece to Essays - Eleven Years Later: Unimaginable.

I am indebted to Michael Jensen and to Jerome Downes who inspired this conversation.

Photograph courtesy Landmark Forum Thai graduates
Incredible!
2000 people "Big Bang" Landmark Forum - Day 2
Bangkok, Thailand - Saturday November 21, 2009


This essay illustrates how to stretch the imagination in a way which has the power to touch, move, and inspire all people everywhere - not because of its accomplishment (which is massive), neither because of its achievement (which is huge), nor because of it's scale  (which is vast), but because of its sheer human‑ness.

If only one person discovers their opinions, concepts, and beliefs are all self made, and not as accurate a reflection of what's possible in Life as they would first appear, it's a breakthrough.

If two people discover their own combined self made opinions, concepts, and beliefs aren't accurate reflections of what's possible in their relationship, it's miraculous. No, it's more than that. It's if two people discover their own combined self made opinions, concepts, and beliefs are barriers  to what's possible in their relationship, it's miraculous.

And if a group of people discover all their self made opinions, concepts, and beliefs are barriers to what's possible for family, for community, for organization, for society, for humanity, it raises the bar for what's extraordinary. This raised bar is extraordinary because we all consider developing our own opinions, concepts, and beliefs to be one of our most cherished freedoms - which it is. But without distinguishing  the opinions, concepts, and beliefs we make up are self created and very often don't correlate with what works  in Life, these very creations (and our attachment to them) which we regard as the bastions of our freedom, become impediments to us truly being  who we really are and fully living what's possible.

If a hundred people got together in one place at one time and transformed their lives in this way, it would be amazing. If five hundred people got together in one place at one time and transformed their lives in this way, it would be a remarkable, rare happening. If a thousand  people got together in one place at one time and transformed their lives in this way, it would be a once in a lifetime  occasion. So it's almost unimaginable (and if you were to imagine it - that is to say if you could  imagine it - it would stretch the imagination) that two thousand  people got together in one place at one time in Bangkok Thailand recently to share themselves, to share their lives, and to share transformation.

There really isn't much I want to say about what happened. You can imagine what happened. Anything I may say about it will only get in the way of your experience of what's possible from an occurrence like this. Named after a legendary process which started the universe (and calling it a "legendary"  process means it's true it happened or it's true it didn't happen), the "Big Bang"  Landmark Forum started something new for you and for me and for all of us, even if you weren't there, and even if you didn't know it was happening. The Big Bang Landmark Forum altered the very rules of what's possible for being for human being. Since the Big Bang, Life won't ever be ordinary again for you or for me or for any of us.

I shared the Big Bang with a friend of mine. He was silent - not responding, taking it all in. When he finally did respond, all he said (quietly) was one word: "Incredible!".

That's exactly what this is: incredible. Not one other word needs to be said.


Communication Promise E-Mail | Home

© Laurence Platt - 2011 through 2023 Permission