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




The Final Frontier:

"Why?"

Overland Park, Kansas, USA

May 23, 2001



This essay, The Final Frontier: "Why?", is the companion piece to

Someone asked me the very best question recently: "Why do you write Conversations For Transformation? Why are you doing this? Are you trying to change the world?".

You know, the simplicity of it really got me. Undeniably, what I do makes a difference in the world and creates an impact. But am I actually "trying to change the world"?.

It made me stop and look.

I've come up with two answers. The first one is the answer to "Why are you doing this?". The second one is the answer to "Are you trying to change the world?".

The answer to "Why are you doing this?" apropos Conversations For Transformation is "I'm doing this because I'm doing this.". That may sound like I'm hiding behind Zen to timidly sidestep the question and / or to avoid answering the question at all. But it's not, and I'm not. "I'm doing this because I'm doing this"  is actually profound in its simplicity - that, plus it's true. It also, by the way, blazes the trail for answering any and all  "Why are you doing (anything)?" questions. The answer to any and all "Why are you doing (anything)?" questions is "I'm doing (this) because I'm doing (this).". Anything else is just a story.

To come up with an answer to "Are you trying to change the world?", I had to look closer and deeper. Eventually I realized I'm not trying to change the world, although if out of what I do, the world does change, I probably would try not to interfere in the process. No, I'm not trying to altruisticly change the world. What I'm up to is actually far more selfish than that.

There's no mystery to this. Sharing transformation is the way I create transformation in my own life. Sharing transformation is the way I get to keep transformation in my own life. Paradoxically, the way I get to keep transformation in my own life is by giving it away. There's not some place to get to, after which I remain transformed forever. It's an always ongoing, always created process.

About this Werner says "You're transformed as long as you speak transformation. The moment you stop speaking transformation, you're no longer transformed.".

Transformation shows up in my mouth.

Actually, everyone already knows that. Perhaps some people know it and don't like it. Others know it and resist it. Others know it and fight it. Still others know it and like it, then turn it into a system of concepts and beliefs.

But everyone already knows it.

Your participation in Conversations For Transformation is an opportunity for you to burn down the last vestiges of whatever is between you and always creating / living transformation every day.

People mostly find out about transformation when someone speaks it for them.

Take a stand and share the miracle of transformation with people. And if it does change the world, who would want to get in the way?



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