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




Used By The Truth

Green Valley, California, USA

November 7, 2005



 "The truth believed is a lie."  ... 
This essay, Used By The Truth, is the companion piece to
  1. Throwaway
  2. It's All Over For Laurence Platt
  3. Using Laurence Platt
  4. Scottied Dog
  5. Essays - Nineteen Years Later: On Being Used By Something Bigger Than Myself
in that order.

It is also the first in the octology Truth:
  1. Used By The Truth
  2. Not Truth / Truth
  3. Moment Of Truth
  4. Nobody's Doing It To You Except Yourself: A Study In Truth
  5. Tell Me The Truth
  6. Authentic Truth: The Coca Cola Animals  Incident, And More
  7. Matchbox Cars
  8. On Telling The Truth
in that order.

I am indebted to Linda Zraik who inspired this conversation.




When I'm good at something I use the truth. When I master something I'm used by the truth.

Using something  as opposed to being used by something  is a distinction which lives in language and in experience. It isn't useful to ask what that distinction means  because it can't be gotten that way. If you've mastered something you can, however, look into your experience and see it for yourself.

What if you don't consider you've mastered anything? You have. There isn't anybody who shows up with tennis shoes and a tennis raquet who doesn't play tennis at the level of Self expression. They may not play at the level of champion but there isn't anybody who doesn't play at the level of Self expression. That's what Werner says about being yourself. In this context that's mastery.

Mastery is surrendering to what uses you. You've always been used by something. Always. The only life worth living starts when you distinguish what, then commit to it.

This conversation for transformation uses me. I want to be thoroughly used up by it by the time I die. Over here there's no sense of doing. When I'm in this conversation there's only being and play. I'm used by it. The result of it using me this way is you and I engage in conversations for transformation. It's clear to me I'm used by this conversation to speak transformation. I'm committed to that your listening for transformation picks what I say in this conversation.

What's using me is Self expressing itself as itSelf completing its expression in the world expressing its completion in the world.



Communication Promise E-Mail | Home

© Laurence Platt - 2005 through 2022 Permission