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: