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 Heart Of Werner's Work

Marin County, California, USA

May 28, 2001
Reposted May 25, 2020



This essay, The Heart Of Werner's work, is the first in an open group on Werner's Work:
  1. The Heart Of Werner's Work
  2. Zen And Werner's Work
  3. Werner's Work Is Coming Back To Hawai'i
  4. Werner's Work Is Coming Back To Hawai'i Again
  5. Werner's Work Is Coming To Fiji
  6. Werner's Work Is Coming To The Dominican Republic
  7. Much More Than A Compendium: Reflecting On The Source Of Werner's Work
  8. Werner's Work Is Back In Hawai'i
  9. Werner's Work In Academia
  10. Werner's Work: Data, Processes, Sharing
in that order.

It is also the first in a quintology inspired by Dorothy:
  1. The Heart Of Werner's work
  2. Dorothy, I Have A Feeling We're Not In Kansas Anymore
  3. Interesting Interested Lady
  4. Zen Gardener
  5. God Is In His Heaven And Everything Is Right With The World
in that order.

I am indebted to Joseph "Joe" Kempin who contributed material for this conversation.



May 15, 2009
Werner Erhard with his 99 year old mother Dorothy
Werner and the people who really know him may say his experience of transformation which resulted in his work in the world came about through completing his relationship with his mother Dorothy.

Dorothy is a friend of mine. Recently I was fortunate enough to be sitting with her in her home, sipping tea, when she shared the following experience with me which will give you a sense of her presence.

She was invited by a friend who had just completed one of Werner's seminars, to attend the evening graduation session with her as her guest. Dorothy agreed to go, and she took a seat very unostentaciously - not in the front row nor in the back row. She blended into the crowd, just another guest at just another evening graduation session of just another of Werner's seminars.

Someone - Dorothy told me she didn't know whom nor how they found out - stood up and said: "We have a very special guest here with us tonight. She's Dorothy, the mother of the man who created this seminar, Werner Erhard.".

At first, there was a stunned silence. Then people turned around to try to see her. They stood on their chairs. They clapped. They whistled. They yelled. They cheered. The whole room went totally mad. It was sheer pandemonium. They were stomping their feet. The room shook to the foundations. It was a full fifteen minute raucous standing ovation ...

And when it finally died down, ninety one year old Dorothy stood up and said:

"How many of you acknowledge your own mother like that?".



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