Professional Documents
Culture Documents
You Dont Alter What You Know
You Dont Alter What You Know
SEPTEMBER 1983 3
A CONVERSATION WITH JOHN: But you said that belie f also keeps what you believe and what's true. The first con tributed a useful example for everyone,
WERNER ERHARD them from being enlightened . day is designed to give people an opportunity and the truth of the matter is, it doesn't make
Continued from page 3 to recognize that they have lots of pretense in any diffe rence whether you stand up or I
WERNER: Yes. That's right: it becomes a bar-
their lives, and that they're pret~nding they stand up in an interaction with the trainer ; the
rier, but that's okay. E;lightened people can
don ' t. They're pretending, for instance , that example is useful to both of us.
WERNER: The primary difference, techni- and do have many barriers. I have many
their marriage works: or that they want to do The training has acquired a reputation of
cally, is that each exists in a different domain , barriers, and I'm clearly enlightened, aren't
the work they do ; or that their life works, to harshness, and in some cases crudeness. I am
Believing that you're enlightened exists in the I?
say it in general terms, and then on top of all not going to say that trainers in the training
epistemological domain of belief It's totally
that , they're pretending that they' re not pre- are not straight and honest with people if they
different from being enlightened , which ex-
tending at all. need to be, but the accusations of harshness ,
ists in an epistemological domain that I call
In the first part of the second day, people crudeness, authoritarianism and the like are
abstraction or context. The language struc- You find that you're the way see that there's a distinction between con- largely propagated by people who have not
tures of belief and the epistemological do-
main of belief are insufficient to apprehend
you are because you're cepts about living and the experience of livi ng, directly experienced the training, and in all
afraid. At some point and they discover that they have not be n these accounts, one thing is always left out:
the domain of context or abstraction. The
experiencing life; they've been conceptualiz- the compassion in the training.
opposite , however, is not true; the domain of there's a breakthrough and ing life. I know-because I'm the guy who trained
context or abstraction does include the struc- people get the joke. For instance, people begin to observe that the people who are leading the training-that
tures of belief.
the idea, "I love my wife," is different from the tr<lining is done with absolute compas-
the experience, "I love my wife;" that for the sion , and that toughness , when and if it oc-
AUL REISMAN: During The est
most part , they live with the idea of some- curs , including calling people assholes, comes
Training, the trainer frequently
JOHN : We got you to say it! thing and very infrequently have the experi- from a deep respect for people , from an in-
calls the trainees "assholes."
ence of it. They also discover that the experi- tention to get straight with them , with abso-
Doesn't calling people assholes DICK: We got it on the tape.
ence of something has a much different lutely no intention to demean them. As a
tell them that they're not en-
WERNER: I r ally did a better job vhen I was outcome than the idea of something. matter of fact , in terms of results , people are
lightened, or don't you intend it
kidding about it , but to answer the questio n The last portion of the second day is called not demeaned; they are enhanced.
that way?
the way you want me to answer it-people the "danger process." About 25 trainees The training i~ done with what mig ht be
W ERNER: First of all , no calling people any- who complete the training and belie e they stand at the front of the room , facing the called ru thless compassion, but it's done vi th
thing doesn't necessarily make any statement are enlightened are still enlightened . They other 225. with the instruction to do nothing compassion. nd it's done with a real sense
about their state of enlightenment. If I call are, in addition to being enlighten d , simply but just be there , just standing. While stand- of the dignity o f human beings-not the rdi-
you an asshole in the context of your being moving through that specific expressio n of ing there, of course, they begin to notice all of nary social grease called "respect fo r each
enlightened , it e nlightens you. If I call you an being enlightened called believing yo u're en- the thoughts , fears , concerns, pretenses , and other," but a really deep kind of respe t, the
asshole to get you enlightened because you lightened. Believing you ' re enlightened the like which they carry with them all the kind of respect that lets you know you'd be
aren't enlightened, it endarkens you. when you are enlightened is an entirely dif- time, which have come to be even somewhat willing to be in the trenches with the per~on
None of us unders tands very much about ferent phenomenon from believing you're automatic, and which se riously impair the ir alongside you. It is a really empowering thing
the power of context. It's useful to distinguish enlightened when you're not. ability to be with other people. The people to discover that you've been relating to the
between believing that something is so and its I know it might not make sense to you , but standing there end up doing eve rything ex- people you Jove out of the concept of lo ve,
actually being so, because the belief in that it is possible that people who have been cept nothing, and in the process they start to and den ying yourself the experience of lo ve ,
thing which is so is totall y different from its through the training are actually enlightened, see that. and sometimes you've got to be very intrusive
so-ness. As a matter of fact , the belief that and then, from being enlightened, they may The process is very, very useful for them. It with people to get that up on the mat. But I
something is so keeps you from experiencing go through the steps of achieving enlighten- becomes clear to them that they've got an act, tell you, that comes from a respect for them ,
its being so. It actually ceases to be so, be- ment. I know you don't believe that. I don't a mechanism , a collection of behaviors and and a commitment to them.
cause you've got a barrier between you and want you to believe it. I do want you to allow actions and feelings and thoughts that may
it; and the barrier is your belief that it's so. A that it's possible; that when people go not be who they really are after all. They see
Dellet 10 tlte truth is not the truth ; yet the through this SIlly lIttle thmg called the tram- It tor themselves. It Isn't somethlOg you 're
same thing , without the belief. is the truth . ing, they actually come out enlightened; and told by someone else . You see it yourself, and The training is done with
that what you observe afterwards is the proc- it is undeniably clear an d undenia bly true abso ute compassion . ..
JOrl .Maybe it's onl: lhe fen t:llt olfowl;;'-,
ess of the expression of their enlightenm nt. I ahout you. And it opens up whole new pos-
who have jlt~t gr;ldu:tt l:d , but it seems tn me
kn )w you know It'S impossible, but I just sibilities for ways of being . It reveals a funda-
toughness, when and if
that a lot of peopk whu have taken the tra in- it occurs , comes from
want you to keep it open as a possibi lity. mental inauthenticity about our mode of liv-
ing-say some of them- have that belief, the
belief that they' re enlightened. How does the JOli : They were enlightened already, right?
ing, and allows for the possibility of authentic a deep respect for people.
living.
training cut through that?
WERNER: No, no , no, no. They were not After everybody has been up front and has
W ER ER: Well , first , I'd like to leave open the enlightened until they got into the training. watched everyone else being up front , they
possibility that some of what y u have per- Now remember, I didn't say that was true, I sit down and close their eyes. From previo us I want to tell you o ne thing th at I think is
ceived as arrogance is not , in fact, arrogance. said I want you to entertain that possibility. parts of the training they're able to become kind of fun ny. I ha ve a constitution that
It may be, but I want to Ie ve open the pos- By the way, I want you to know that I think quickly an d accurately aware of what they' re makes going to the bathroom not very impor-
sibility that it isn't. Second , although you that one of the things that makes tbe training experiencing ; now what they become aware tant to me. I go to the bathroo m about as
haven't said it, it is clear yo u have ' very potent is that there are some things in it which of about themselves can e frightening , be- often as a nybody else do s. except that if I'm
strong belief, velY stron g belief, that peo pl are very accurate . If you try to practice medi- cause they real ize that what 's dri ing the ir doing something inte resting, I just don't go.
who ta ke the training a re not nlightened. cine with the idea that people are sick be- behaviors is their fe ar of people. was the only person who did the training in
cause of spirits , you have a certain amoun t of Macho men find out that they're macho the beginning, so the sessions wo uld go on
JOHN: I don 't know whether it 's a belief; it's forever, because I never felt like going to the
sue ess ; but if you practice m dicine with the because they're afraid, a diswvery they ma ke
mor a s n ~e that they' re on a trip abo ut it.
idea that peo ple are sick because there are fo r themselves . People who are stupid or in- bat hroom. People \\.c re ~ l ud ying how r was
WERNER : 0 'ay That 's true, too. YOll have a micr bes and liru ses which can't be seen , telh g nt or sexy find out that they are stupid doin g the trainin g. and th y figured that this
sense of it. But preceding th e sense , before you have greater success. You see, ther 's or intelligent or sexy because they are afraid not not going to the bathroom was a \'ery
you ver got to h. \' n sense of it, you something workable about being accurate, of other people . You find out that you're Ule imp rtant part of it. I mea n , it's just so ~tu
believe very powerfully and dee ply that they and th r 's a lot of inaccuracy in life , some of way ou are because you're afraid. pid, because it\ literally that ill ' - people
are not c:nlightened, or that it's no t possible to which can actually be made-accurate-even At some point there's a breakthrough , and had those great theories about dep rivation
be enlightened that way,or some such be lief. by people like yo u and me, unenlightened people get th e joke. The joke is that other a nd wha tnot. Nobody bothe red to say. "Hey.
peopl . people look frightening to you because th ey Werner, what about going to the bathroom?"
JOHN: Well. if we get into the metaphysics of I'd have said, " Well, go if you've got to."
are frightened . The boss is the boss because
it, then we would hav to- PAUL : Would you say something now abo ut
he's afraid; just like you' re whatever you are I also don 't ne ~d a lot of sleep. so the
what the training is, what it's supposed to do,
WERN ER: No, we don't have to get into th because you're afraid. In the environment of trainings would go lo ng into th e mght . The
nd how it does it?
me ta physics ; I'm talking a bout something the training, this becomes a major break- peo ple in the training needed a lot of sl ep,
really simple . You b lieve that thos people W ER NER: The training is 60 hours long, done through experience for people, and it makes b t l did n t. So we trained a lot of people who
are not enlightened and your belief is a mat- in fou r days of roughly 15 hours each. The life profoundly differe nt. were asleep durin g the trainin g, but it works
ter of fact , not a matt er of metaph y ics . trainers are virtually all people with profes- One of the things that I think it is very just as well wheth r you' r asleep or (1 \ ake.
sional backgrounds , people who are already important for you to know is that while we
JOHN : In the absolute ~ens , we're all en- DICK: So you reall. don't think th at those
highly accomplished, in the sense in which present the training to large groups, it is total-
lightened. features are an essential part of the training?
society generally considers people highly ac- ly individualized. If there are 250 people in
WERNER: Neve r mind that part of It. I'm tal k- complishl;;d. After a person decides he or she the training, there are 250 different trainings. J:RN ER: No.
ing about the belief You belie 'e that those is going to be a trainer, it takes an average of That 's one of the bea uties of the training. It's
DICK: That's the window dressing tha t looks
peopl aren't enlightened. A nd that's a ve ry two and a half to three years to actually be- tailor-made for each person . If you a re the
the most authoritarian.
strongly held belief for yo u. come one. Trainer candidates work at their kmd of person who can't handle much emo-
training all the time-they become immersed tion, you just don 't have much emotion in the WERNER: Exact ly.
JOHN : I'm wondering how est d ais ).lith the
-so, in effect , it's more like a five-year pro- training. It's tha t simple. And yet, it wo rks
fact that people walk around bel ieving that JOHN: Why do you maintain it th n? Why not
gram. for you.
they' re enlightened- just let it go?
I'll briefly describe a few parts of The est Very little of the training is done at yo u as
WERNER: Oh , I leave room for it , number Training. The first part is designed to let peo- an individual , and if it is, it's clearly done that WERNER: Oh , in p art we have let it go.
one . Because they're nlightened . It rea lly is ple see that some of the things wh ich they say way to illustrate some point. In the moment , There 's an automatic break every four hours
perfectly appropriate if enlightened people they "know" to be true , they only believe to you might not remember that, but after you now. We keep doing the training a n average
happen to believe they're enlightened. b true , and that th e re's a distinction betwee n sit down it's very clear to you that you have of 15 hour~ a day because if we did it 10 any
R
four days, which are already a problem for purpo~es ?f this group that's addition to the domain of concept or explana- healthy, expressive, able , and capable. I'd
some people . mtervlewmg you IS to try to tion and that of experience or process , there like to suggest to you that the way you're
That should give you some idea of the delineate some guide Unes is the domain of context or creation. It's a looking at it is a part of the evil-that you're
spirit of the training. 1 think it would take for what constitutes benefi- realm in which people look not only at what looking at it in a way that says: "These are the
more time than we want to spend here to cent versus harmful groups they think, but at the realm in which their alternatives: pick ne ."
describe the whole thing. and teachers . You've been through myriad thinking takes place . Attitude is certainly
BRUCE: I'm asking you how you're looking at
By the way, let me tell you something groups and trainings of one type or another, ther in this realm, and allowed and appreci-
the matter, and what you're doing about it.
about whether the training is authoritarian. and certainly met a lot of people claiming to ated , and a change or process of attitudes is
Go into a prison and not be part of the sy.- be teachers over the last 20 years. What respected , but hen the group deals in the WERNER: I'm going to get to that.
tern, and get into a room with inmates where ould you tell us , or what would you tell epistemological domain of the context of atti-
RUCE: We've had person after
B
ther are no guards, and I want to see you be anyon , bout how to differentiate between tudes, then I become even less concerned.
authoritarian. We've done the training in ' an pers n come in here from dif-
beneficent and harmful teachers and groups?
feren t groups and tell us about
Quentin Prison with no guards in a room with WERNER: This question is something that I BRUCE: One of the things that you referred to
prisoners, 250 ofth m and five of us. And the how their relationship with
feel a responsibility for, first off because of earlier was that people were too deferent to
their leader has empowered
training works spectacularly. It works just as my own opportunities and the opportunities your authority. That's something that every-
them-people who were in
well in Israel it doe in New York City. It of my associates, and also because of the body notices, these charges that people are
fact very slavish in their adulation of that
works just as well in Davenport, Iowa , as in larger issue. The whole issue of leadership, rather slavish in their adulation of you. I want
leader-they were set on fire; they were "em-
Los Angeles. It works as well with Harvard authority, etc., seems to me to be a basic you to talk about the specific changes that
powered;" they went out and "dealt" with
professors as it does witb-I don't know. problem in our society-any society. you're making that will reduce the excessive
their problems. We've seen this time and time
What's the opposite of a Harvard professor? When the source of the authority lies out- deference or adulation .
again . Now, in order to accomplish your
side of those with whom the authority is exer- WERNER: We all know that a hundred thou- goals for people , which is that you want them
EVITT SANFORD: A Yale pro-
N
cised , you've got the beginnings of a possible sand people can't love one person. If they to be e mpowered and not slavish , you're
fessor.
problem. You're not necessarily going to def- could , nobody would be able to observe them making changes in your organization . I want
initely wind up with a problem , but y u'd doing it, because that isn't possible in the to know what problems you see, and how
BRUCE FIREMAN: Do you
damn well better be careful. See, if Dick is structure through which we'd look at the sit those changes are going to contribute to the
think that the people on the
the leader of the group, and is its leader b - uation. If what's occurring is actually what it's relationship between you and your under-
staff f Werner Erhard and
cause God has given Dick a mission, and God concluded to be-slavish adulation-I wan t lings in the organization-
Associates have the frame of mind in which
is not directly availab e to the rest of us to somebody to explain why it nurtures those
they can assess your actions, and should your WERNER: See, but that's th whole problem.
discuss Dick's designation , that for me is the people, because adulation doesn't nurture
actions be bad for the goals you'r trying to
harbinger of a problem. If Dick's authority is people. It only makes them right ; it does not BRUCE: Well , perhaps I'm using the wrong
promote , that they would get rid of you and
based on anything that is inaccessible to the nurture them. People who are adulating word. But rather than make an issue of my
carryon the work without you? Are there
rest of the people in the group, then I am don't get healthier, they don't get more self- words-
procedures in place by which-
concerned. expressive, they don't get more capable . The Continued on page 6
WERNER: They don't need any procedures. The times when I'm least concerned are
They don't need to get rid of me . You see, I when Dick's authority-and then I would not
bave no authority. call it authority-is in the hands of the people
with whom the authority or power is being
BRUCE: But could they, if they did need to get
exercised, when it's clear to everybody that
rid of you?
this is the case. I think you can con people
WERNER: I don't wonder about it. I know that into agreeing with your position of authority,
they would do that, and could do that, and as but you can only con them if they don't know
a matter of fact, since the organization's in- that they are the source of yourauthority. I
ception they've always had the wherewithal think that if you're attempting to avoid the
to do it, because I never held any position of evils of authoritarianism, one of the things
authority. T had no form al authorit ,; my that hould happen is that the people in the
power in the organization as exactly equal group should be very clear that there is no
to my ability to be useful to the people in the natural leader; that there are people who
organization. have natural leadership qualities , but that
The actual fact about it is that I do have a doesn't make any of them the leader. There is
lot of authority, and I consider the authority no outside authority which is unavailable to
to be counter-productive. I don't like author- the people in the group selecting the leader;
ity-it just doesn 't work . It's nowhere near the group is empowering the people who are
potent enough for the kinds of things that I'm being empowered.
interested in achieving.
So we've worked at the job of undermining
my position of authority. When you have
authority with people, they can't hear you.
They can neither hear whether you're saying When you have authority with R. BUCKMINSTER FULLER
nonsense, nor can they hear whether you're people, they can 't hear you. JULY 12, 1895-JULY 1, 1983
saying something useful.
S , that's a problem for us , as it is in any
They can neither hear
rganization, nd it's a problem thot I think whether you're saying nonsense, INVENTOR ARCHITECT EN ' I E R MATHEMATICIA PHI LOSOPHER
we have dealt with. We have foru ms for peo- nor can they hear whether CO MPREHE N IV E DESIGNER CA RTOGR PHEI PO ET ;LOH AL C IT IZEN
ple to express themselves; the first "rule" as a you're saying something useful.
staff member is to agree to open, honest . and By any account, he w as an extrao r linary man.
complete communication We have struc- By his own account, he was an ordin ary man.
tures to support p o ple when they don't feel
powerful enough to make those communica- "'Du orzly imp ortarllihi/l)? about me is that I a111 an average, healthy hl//I1all beirlg. All
tions We have an ombudsman who's paid to One of the other things-and this one is a the things I've been able to do, any hwnall bein)?, or Q//y Oil } or yO/l, could do equally
keep whatever he or she hears in strict confi- lot more subtle, so I think a lot more dan- well or better. I was able to accomplish what I did by refosing to be hooked all a game of
dence, and who e job it is to make sure that a gerous-is the prevailing intellectual level or life that had /loth ill)? to do with the way the universe wasgoing. I wasjllst a throwaway
staff m mber is not damaged by any commu- the prevailing epistemological domain , th who was willing to commit myselJto what needed to he done . ..
nicati n addressed to another staff member. realm of knowing that prevails in the group.
We d n't think that any of those lhings are If that realm of knowing is conceptual - Could it be that Bucky really meant what he said? Could it be
necessary, because we don't think we operate ideas , beliefs, slogans-that for me is almost
in ways that will damage anyone . But we certainly going to wind up ith a problem that his life is an unavoidable example that an ordinar per-
think that it 's possible for staff members , someplace. Ifit doesn' t, somebody is going to son's lifi can make a difference?
when they're looking for an excuse not to be have to be working really hard to make sure
responsible, to say to the mselves, "Hey, I that it doesn't become a problem. It's almost Buck y spoke about living one's life as an ex pression of com-
can't tell the truth here , because '11 get in a natural disaster. mitment. He spoke about liv ing one's life in acco rdance w ith
trouble." So we've just destroyed the oppor- When I see that conceptualization , though
tunity to use that as an excuse. There's no present, exist within a larger epistemological
certain simple, discoverable principl es. He said that by doing
wa that you as a staff member cann t say domain that I call experience, I'm then a lot so an ordinary p rson 's life could mak an extraordina ry
exactly what's on your mi nd , because there mar r laxed, because if somebody trie to difference.
are so many systems to protect you. say, for instance, that Jews are bad, and in the
So , yes, I get called to task. I don't get group it's agreed upon that we verify things in Should one take Bucky at his w ord or dismiss him as a great
called to task often, because I happen to be our experience, I'm not so concerned that man being humble?
able to operate with a lot of accuracy. I also whoever is trying to get that one across is
have one other endearing quality. When I going to prevail. If experience is allowed, and Finatuial cotJ{ributious to lilt otl,eoiug Jt.'l'eiopmetll (wd (O rl1H1I4'lh Uf ; Ot, ~lFul!rr '., p rt'yl:'d.) Im d jdccJs (at! he madr to the
make a mistake I get off it fast . Maybe that's if experience is recognized and respected, Fri<l1ds rfB,u kmi/ISur Full,'r i-'ouJlJatioli. 845 Vi" de fa Pa z, #A 17/$, Pa'i}I' Palisade.', CA 90272 i21J) 4728110
not an endearing quality- then I have less concern .
SEPTEMBER 1983 5
CONVERSATION WITH and urban ghettos, on the the i~ that ~I f thaC!> g ing to happe n i~ wh t h ppe . So , for ex mple, if you examin inte llige t
WE RNER ERH ARD sufficiency is n ver a hi ved unless ther 's Now, that doesn 't tit into ur structure, people-particu larly people who wear t heir
Continued fro m page 5 individual and societal transformation . We into our categories. We know t hat you don 't intelligence o n their coat sl ve -and you
feel we've developed a technology that al- get up in th morning unless y u 'v got a get do n underneath it , you find invariably
W ERNER: I' m n ot mak ing an issue of the lows people to effect those transformations moti ve . That's a great explanatIOn . Maybe that they are intellige nt to avoid being stupid.
words you use. I'm maktng the system from f r themselves, independent of an outside you can explain people's behavior, but you Invariably, when intd igence is not nurtur-
which the words ar deri ed the probl m. personality. can't do one thing to bring an ounce of whole- ing , it is a device for overcoming so mething,
Given the system, 1 can't answer the ques- By the wa , many of these organizations ness and completeness into people's lives it is a mo ivated kin d of 'nt lIigence . In m,
tion. You see, it's not simply th words yo u're are wholly independent of We rner Erhard with that theory, because the theory is essen- experience and in my observa tio n, intel-
using that are the problem . What I want to and Associa es. tially a theory of explanatio and doesn't get ligenc is a natural expression of self. One's
convey to you is this: In the assumptions fr m at the calise of things. self is i nt lligent.
DlCK: That seems like a natural con lusion to
which you are asking the question, you allow
that line of questioning. na t her lin to con-
1don 't mean that we should throw all moti-
for no truthful answer to the ques on. The vatio n ut , because moti ation is useful as an
sider will take a minute to develop. I know
words you use reflect your assumption~ accu- inte nm device , as something through which
peopl ' who work for your organiza ti n , or in
rately, and glVen your assumptions, there's
it , and what they seem to have in common is Motivation? It doesn't bring to go , something to master. But ultimatel y
no solution to th problem. One cannot solve motivation is a true exercise of authoritarian-
the problem in the system you are using. In
that they wo rk very hard and very long h urs , an ounce of wholeness ism. O ur whole society i base on it, and
and that they don't have much going on in or completeness into people's
fact, that system is the problem. say that people are not freed by the values of
their lives except eSI. NO\ a certain kind of
Now, I'm going to answer your question,
fantasy about est gets set off by this fact. It
lives because it's this society, or ennobled by them ; they're
becau e, you know, I came here and agreed essentially .. explanation and dominated by them. I think it's perniciolls to
combines with other things I seem to have
to do that, but I want to tell you the truth start with; you don' t need to get to Jones-
before I answer the question. So I'm telling
noticed about est: It is a very rapi dl expand- doesn't get at town. It's already pernicious. nd nobod y is
ing organization; it has very high ambitions in
you that my answer will make no sense if you
terms of wanting to transform the society or
the cause of things. really teaching an ybody about the science
listen to the answer in that system from which and the technology and art of coming from .
perhaps the world; it hopes to be able to end
you asked the question. Th thing which i really difficult-and ve
hunger in a certain number of years. and
The answer is that the organization has for notice this a lot in the work that we're doing
other things that seem implausible from a
several years been shifting away from a struc- So I don't have a vision . I'm not selling in development around the world-is that
normal frame of reference; it proselytizes
ture that ha a central place or a top place some ideal. I don't know wher I'm going. 1 people cannot believe that there i. omething
very forcefully, with very great energy. Put-
from which decisions are made and pas ed know where I'm coming from. And I thin k that moves people other than moti vation .
ting all those th ings together, it's easy to view
on. We always tried not to operate that way, that the people o n the staff know wh re There's just no possibility of ontology being
est as a group of people with a self-involved,
and over the years we've become m re and they're coming from. I think it's a great ex- behind it. That is not held as possihle. There-
very convoluted system of beliefs that
more successfu l at not operating that way. citement to them to discover where that takes fore, if you see somebody moving, b G od ,
achieve their plausibilit. by the apparent
The structure of just about any ordinary or- them , day by day, week by week. It's why we they've got to be up to something. They've
ability of est to grow very rapidly.
ganization, however, is th at way. So when don't have any problem throwing things out. got to be moving towards something. It can't
you're trying to go left In a structure that's WERN ER: So that gro\\1 h ba ks up th b lief, See. if my life is about where I'm going t get be that they're just moving.
going right , you can't get very far. We recog- ap pears to back up the belief. to , and ou make me change . then you've
nized that what needed to happen was what ups t me . If my life is about where I'm com- HILIP ZJM B ROO: Doesn 't Th
P
DICK : Yes . so people feel t a t they're really
we called a transformation of the structure, ing from , change is no problem -i f I'm !>Tart- H unger PrOject h ve a visi n?
somehow achieving something import ant
because no mntter what our intentions were, ing at th e end , an d going then through the
with res ect to the ir own consciousness.
as long a' they were being expressed in a process . inst of g in th rough th proce s W ERNER: Ye.<;, I uggcst that if
ow , hat would happen if suddenly est
structure of authority, we would not achieve to get to the end . yo u read what we call t he
peaked, and some of th plausibility struc-
our end~. So wh do people work I ng hours? They "source document" for Th
ture s.tac.te.d to break own? me of the
The st(uctur we ave in mit\d is a network work lo ng hou.c because there's work to be HUfl:er Project , you woul d see hoih that
othe r group that \ ' 'ye looked al have rall y
of pe pIe, the center o f which is where eT done, ant.! doing tn o rk i ' 'V ery satisfying. I at l' e just s id is true and th at they ave a
. nfy gotten in~ trouble when it taned to
you re. Decisions ge t made locally. By con- didn't say it was eas~, or plea an t; f sai it was vision -the 'ision do ~n' t preclude what I
look as if th\:)' wer n'l going to h ngc th e
tT t, if we' re all operating as a hi r rchical ti. fy ng. TI ey work long hou because in just said.
world fe r all , nd:-ls If the!> em t 0-
r . mzatlOn , you know you might be the that pponu It th ey exp nenc th oppor- he ng r P o je t's mi. ~i l ' to f at ,\
pIe h d be n dt!v )ting them.-elvcs to \ hoi -
bo ; yo 'd tell us what to du o We t<:!l l you tunity to make a di erence. Not to make context for the end of hunger. Now to do
heart Iy for five, ten . or fifteen years wasn't
what's g ing on; you tell us wh t to do . In a things d iffe r n t . s e. but to mak a d if- only that would b half-assed, if you will.
really omnipotent. The whole sha red group
ystem hich is network-like rather than p r- ference . T hey experience the opportunity of Therefor e, you have to fa up to also ere l-
fantasy started to break apart . and things got
amidal. what g t<; done in an given spot get being abl to be us fuJ- and the y don't expe- ing a goal , the end of hunger; but it's the
crazy. Could you re lid to th at?
decided at th e spot. The information flows to rience that opportunity in a lot of places in context whic IS The Hung Project': job,
ther fro m all o\ er that n twork , and the WERNER: I know everybody'S trying to be the "'orld and in tbe context "the end of hunger," what
information from there fl ows all over the net- polite, and I app reciate your being nice about is is the xpression f the end of hung r.
DICK : You're saying, I think , that est people
work . it. But , you see, it's not just trying to be Therefore you don't fail, in the cont xt.
won' t flip out and get crazy if the w rid isn ' t
This is something that I've been studying polit . nd it's n t just tr ing to be ni e a bout
transformed , because they don 't have a cer- PHILIP: But you could fail in th at vision .
now for two and a half years , and I actually it; it's a fl at-out lie . nd language carried on
tain poi nt of vi w abnut how the world is
thin k ~ e've come up with some bre ak- in lies. ven if hey' r well-meaning lies, Ie d W ER NI:.R: Yes. You can fa il and-no , you
going to be transformed ; they don 't have a
throughs . est came to an end this year [19 1J, vou to inaccurate conclusions . kno w you will fai l in the obje ti\' S. O ne
. Wh at offends m i ~ \If willingnes to carry bel ief stru ture that has to be confirm d .
Iiterall 'Went out of xistence, because we 're hopes not to fail ultimately, but n ":11 ws
evolvin in to a network and we wa nted to put on the conv rsation wi thou t getting at the WERNER: That's right. on will fa il in t he obj ctives. That \ a part f
the old orga nizational model t bed. So, for truth fit. Tthink there's a very big pos 'ibilit the expr ssion fa cont t of uc~e ding. In
DICK: I thin k that' valid . I thi nk that th at i. a
instanc , the Master T h rapist rogram is of missing some of the real pow r and value the co ntext f su cceeding, failure is con-
difference between est an d some of the other
done by the entity called Werner Erhard and in the work that we are doing and in the taine ; th refor , failure i' not invalidati ng.
gr ups that we've sen .
ssociates in a pa rtnership with Dr. R b rr whole dev lor ment of th at v rk , if yo u at- Fail ure doesn't destroy anything. As a matter
haw, who's a psychiat rist. Lots of programs tempt to force It into the cate o rie which you WERNER : T he ther thing is that they don ' t of fa ct. it forwa rd things. Enors arc im p r-
are done as partnerships, dnd more will be bring to it to try to understand it . because est thin k they're " good ;" therefore, they're not tan t. They're how you get ther . M i~takes are
done that way in th e fut ure , where our net- is reany about the v ry nature of OUT inqui- made craGY by som body 'aying they're ()ad. the path .
work will be affiliated with other networks. ry. T he est Training is aimed at grasping the r don't think The est Training is good . I don 't I'll tell you the one thi ng that burns o ur
categories wi th which o ne eals with the thin k it's righ teous, I don't think it's d's people out. It's when th y think tb ey a t it. It
world . It's not aimed at what one puts into work. G d is not talking to me per 'onally any s t a rt~ to happen at xactly th at mom nt when
those categories. diffe rentl . th n She talks io everbody. You they figure they have it m ade, they have it
Errors are important. You assume th at the long hours and the kn w. the re's no great mission. Or, es, there togethe r, they understand it now. And it' so
They're how you get there. high commitment of staff me mbers must be is a great m ission , but it's the great mission deadly, it's really sad. Th y may go n to be
bro ught ab ut by some great vision . I d ny everybody is on . We h ve no private access to very successful, but their success never has
that th at's true. That isn 't wh y I work long the mission nd no special knowledge about the quality of m king a differenc again.
hours. I'm very committed- l say "commit- the mission .
JOHN: Do they c me out of it ?
Just let me cover a coupl more things very ted" and 1 know th thought tha t go e~ By th way. before est I vas an expert in
quiCkly. We started a pilot program in 1981 in lrough people's minds: "He believes in what motivation . In the realm f motivati n ex- WERN ER : Some do . Th jury's still o ut on
San Francis 0 with a thousand people , a he's doing. " I d n't beli 've in what I' m doing perts, on mcasurt! ~ pe rtise by income . some , and I think some wo n't. A nd you see,
worksho p on communi ty in which we've at all. I have absolutely no belief in what I'm Given my inco me, before est, I was an expert it's very 1 'ar to me that everybody will. 0
been d vel ping a program t be made avail- doing. I already know hO\ it's going to turn in motivation. That was my business . A t one I'm now tal king in t hat context. Maybe this
able arou nd the country and around the out. I know it's going to tum out exactl r as it time , I was fairly cl r, I was One of the fe w time around , some won't, but ul tim tel y We:
world, so that people in any community can turns out. It's been ding that for eon~. people in the country who kne w what moti- all will .
work on the community- ma ke mmunity So yo . ay, " But th n, W rn r, h t's your 'ation was . I knew it " up on the line"-my
their business. moti ve, wh at the hell are you working all income depe nded on being able to teach it to
Reprinted by special arrangem ent with Sham b-
The Hunge r Proj ct, hich was really cre- those hours fo r'I " I'm not motivated . Th re p . pie . U ltimately moti vation is counter-
ha/a Publicalions, Inc., 1920 /3th Street, Boulder,
ated by people who have taken The est Train- isn't any motive . There's no damn vision mo- productiv , b 'a us inherent in it is the mes- CO 80302 . This article is excerp(ed from (he forth
ing but is no v much larger than est graduates, tivating me. You know, if I stopped doin g it sage that you're nOI . It It:aches you th at coming book, SpirilUal Standard, ~ r New I ge
has two million people who've enrolled. tomorrow, it wouldn't make one bit of dif- yo 're not, and it re inforces th at you're not. Groups and Therapies, edited by Dick AII/hony.
The Breakthrough Foundation works in ference, and ifI keep doing it right to the end, Even ach ieving that towards which you were Bruce Ecker and Ken Wilber, to be published
international deve lopment in TlITal villages it won 't make any differenc . Th only thing m tivated ju ~ t seals the fact that you 're not. Spring 1984; $17.95 cloth , $8.95 paper.