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




Life Of Distinction

Schellville, California, USA

August 26, 2012



This essay, Life Of Distinction, was conceived at the same time as
Werner's work is described as a rich body of distinctions, distinctions the distinguishing of which  catalyze, trigger, and give access to transformation and the many facets of transformation. Werner's work is also described as holographic. It being holographic means you can start anywhere, at the beginning or in the middle or at the end, and you'll still end up in the same place: transformation. Every component of the whole is embedded in every other component. The whole itself is embedded in every component. You could talk about him forever, and even then you won't have gotten close to covering all his work.

You could say Werner's work, the work of transformation, is the process of unearthing new distinctions - which is to say it's the process of distinguishing  and speaking new distinctions. This languaging  is the sculptor's chisel chipping away at the marble (if you will), revealing transformation, bringing it forth and making it available. So it would seem that to make transformation available (in other words, to speak  transformation), you would first have to become facile  with the distinctions of transformation. For the most part, this facility is what your commitment to participate in Werner's work promises and delivers.

Actually, becoming facile with the distinctions of transformation isn't all that's important. What's equally important (if not more  so) is this: in participating in the discipline of distinguishing distinctions, what comes out to play (so to speak), what comes forth of necessity, is the distinguisher  - if I may invent a new word. When the distinguisher comes out to play, when the distinguisher comes forth of necessity when participating in the discipline of distinguishing distinctions, the distinguisher becomes practiced, strengthened, and empowered - the same as running practices, strengthens, and empowers your legs.

Now, at the risk of my speaking becoming circuitous  and self-referential, I would also say what's important in the discipline of distinguishing distinctions is distinguishing the distinguisher. And who I really am is the distinguisher. Stated with even more rigor, who I really am is the distinguisher of distinctions.

So distinguishing distinctions is actually only one important aspect of participating in the discipline of bringing forth new distinctions. What's equally important is that practicing the discipline of bringing forth new distinctions brings forth you, the distinguisher. Said another way, what's equally important about practicing the discipline of distinguishing new distinctions, is it results in ie it inexorably leads toward  distinguishing the distinguisher. When you've distinguished the distinguisher, when you've distinguished you, that is to say when you've distinguished the real  you, when you've brought the real you, the you you really are to front and center stage, that's transformation. Ergo participating in the discipline of distinguishing distinctions transforms your life.

I live a life of distinction. Another way I could say this is "I live a distinguished  life". Be careful: given our already always listening, this may sound like I'm tooting my own horn. But no, I'm saying this using the dictionary definition of the word "distinguished" - not the adjective but instead the past participle  form of the verb distinguish. When I say "I live a distinguished life", I'm saying I've distinguished the life I live. I don't live the life I was born into. Rather, the life I was born into lives me. The life I live  is the life I distinguish - in other words, the life I live is a life of distinction. And who I really am is the distinguisher of my life. Who I really am is the distinguisher of my distinguished life. Who I really am is the distinguisher of this, my life of distinction.

Getting to know the real me, knowing who I really  am as the distinguisher of my life of distinction, leaves me free and inspires me to come out and play and share.



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