Casos de Uso

Tonight’s get-together begins with a rather eso­

teric reading. It has a triple purpose. First, to permit the authors to “get into the act” and get across what they consider some basic approaches to awareness. Second, to cncourage an open-ended discussion on the progress of the group and the relative benefits of recent techniques.

Third, to permit this discussion to act as a vehicle for an exercise in awareness: specifically, to recognize and spotlight habit quirks and nervous mannerisms in each other and in ourselves and thus help to get rid of them.

It is often difficult for us to see our own quirks, but they are seen and often objected to by others. One com­

pany executive would inject the word “alright?” at every comma and period in his conversation. He never realized that he was doing this until a drunken colleague mim­

icked him at an office party. In a few weeks he was out of the habit. Many of us repeat ourselves without being aware of it.

It would be helpful at this exercise to have funny noise- makers—the kinds they use New Year’s Eve. The group sounds off with one or more of these every time a person in the discussion says “um,” “you know,” “and” (if too often) or pulls on his nose, brushes back his hair or ex­

hibits any other repetitive pattern of behavior that is more a nervous mannerism than anything else. In the absence of noisemakers, a bicycle horn, a bell, a knock on the chair, a whistle or any funny disruptive noise will do.

All of this has to be accepted in the spirit of fun by the person using repetitive mannerisms.

Procedure

Step 1 A leader is appointed. He reads the introduction and then continues by reading the following passage:

There is something about group action, group aware­

ness, which nourishes “togetherness,” if you will. At the root of this nourishment is the ability in each of us to see the best in others, and the ability to use the worst as an opportunity to look into ourselves—to see if we have the same defects.

So, at first, the goal of the group is to prosper in being together; that is, to study this spirit and to prosper both as individuals and as a group. We invoke this spirit of unity so that we won’t fight as individuals over one another’s defects. In all close relationships people know each other’s defects.

It is important not to play on each other’s faults, be­

cause these faults can be infinite in both parties. Instead, we should aim at reaching that high potential—over­

looking defects. The body itself is a defect, since the best teacher of all is that which has no body and is resident in us as the master within, consciousness it­

self, the I AM within us. The body teaches very little.

A great man is one who studies instructions for obtain­

ing peace of mind and who becomes aware of the facts about others, not the faults of others. A sure sign of insecurity and immaturity in a man is when his en­

tire education is geared to finding fault with others for the purpose of elbowing his way around society more effectively, arguing and involving himself in verbal

battles with others. His great purpose in life appears to greater whole governed by an indwelling intelligence.

We should understand how this intelligence manifests itself through the physical systems in the body. In this protoplasm which developed this sensitivity to respond to our environment. So we, as a complex group of systems change the instruments—and our bodies as instruments are changing every second, our organs are changing

Energy always accompanies speech. Hearing follows

speech, and, just as our voice reflects the vibrations of our personality, so does the universe vibrate totally, throughout its homogeneous vibrations; the sum of all vibrations together dictate its personality—the whole being. Everything in the universe may be a manifestation of this consciousness which is behind the vibrations.

Our own consciousness is behind our vibrations. There­

fore this investigation of the voice and of the man­

nerisms of the nervous system is the study of the life force, that life force in us which gives us consciousness.

This is the life force which constitutes our very per­

sonalities and the creative processes which operate through all our organs. This study, this game, should help us begin to observe the life force in others.

Step 2 The leader sees that all are supplied with noise- makers—natural, manufactured or improvised. He then invites a discussion on what was just read, asking specific questions of participants, if needed, to get things going.

Awkward mannerisms and speech defects get the noise treatment from whoever notices them. Others may join in if they agree.

Step 3 Refreshments are served as the discussion and noise signals continue.

Evening No. 11

“This I Seek