Excerpts - Motion - 4 Choices

 

Dr. Bob on Motion — Excerpt, Unknown Workshop

 

We’ll talk about motion. Now most everything that we do could be reduced to motion. It's just another way of saying it, okay? So, if I walk up and [he sticks his hand out to someone to shake hands] I have extended you a motion and you returned it, that's a completed deal.

 

So, about the only things you can do with motion is [he writes the 4 things on the board] originate, return, hold, and there is another thing that could be done is destroy it.  Now, most people spend most of their time returning and holding motion. So very few come up with originating it — but there's a few originators, you know — that come along and say, “Hi,” and you return it. And that was part of this completed transaction. But, if I come up and say a dirty word to you, called you dirty things or insulted you in some way, I originated that and you would either return it or hold it, hmm? You’d either call me a dirty name, or you would just put it inside and feel bad about it, right?

 

Now that's holding motion and it’s very destructive to us. That's what you call having “Accounts Receivable.” You would hold a lot of these and that is very dangerous. Now, to return motion would be all right except that every now and then you run into someone that's bigger than you are and that hurts when he starts returning it, huh? So, returning motion is not civilized and holding motion is dangerous. Now, you can see that easy enough, can't you? 

 

(I don't see that. What's holding motion?)

 

So, I come up and give you a hard way to go and you being the lady that you are, you would just hold it inside and resent it. That's holding motion and you would resent me for having done it, okay? And the resentment will burn your innards out — that's holding motion. That all right, Chris? Do you see how that one would go?

 

(That's why the “Accounts Receivable” is there.)

 

Well, the Accounts Receivable is where I've wanted to get even with you and I wake up in the middle of the night dreaming about it and all sorts of things, but I don't do anything cause I'm a gentlemen, you understand. 

 

(Do you ever see returning motion?)

 

Yeah, it's called fightin'.

 

(Returning motion?)

 

That's fighting. [For example] “That word just popped out – I never did plan that!” because I said I'm civilized, really. Now, the other thing is to destroy motion, okay? Most people live together for years and neither one of ‘em ever originate or destroy motion — they just return and hold, return and hold. They have fights and then one settles down and holds a lot. You ever hold any?

 

(Uh-huh.)

 

Yeah, you call that being good. (laughter) Right?

 

(Right.)

 

You were good and understanding and victimized and you just held it in there. But you would have liked to have clobbered him – but one just doesn't do that, right? So, we seldom originate, and there's very little creative action that goes on which is from here even though we created a fight sometimes.

 

Now, the destroying motion is an entirely different thing which we have been talking about for the last two or three days here, okqy? That I don't have to respond, I'm in charge of my response. So, you come up and say, “Bob you’re a dirty old man,” and I said, “Yes, but I'm rather a handsome dirty old man, I'm a well-dressed dirty old man,” then what are you gonna do about it? I’ve destroyed your whole attack. And so, as I said this morning there wasn't anything anybody could say about us that either I haven't done, or that I am potentially capable of doing. That's about right, isn't it? 

 

So then if I admit to that and just go ahead and make a little joke out of it and I don't defend myself or try to put you down – I don't return it or don't defend myself – now I have destroyed the motion. It just went out of being – right there. Yes?

 

(Somebody may not like that and haul off and swing at you for a response such as that.)

 

Well, then he originated a motion and I would dodge (laughter) and say, "That was a good lick there, man – I like that." 

 

(Okay.)

 

So far, in 70-some-odd years it hasn't happened that way and I've destroyed a hell of a lot of motion. Mama told me that fightin' was hard on my clothes and she wouldn't buy me anymore, and so I don't get in fights. But I've never had anybody do that and I've destroyed a lot of motion.

 

(Were they made verbally, come back when you –)

 

Oh yes, verbally and I just pull another funny and they go on about their way. So, you can destroy a tremendous amount of violent motion, huh? 

 

(Like, when I tried that a couple times, I got back, "You're just saying that, you know.”)

 

Well, that's what I did. 

 

(...to just not communicate...)

 

And so? It's like a little friend of mine that somebody gives her a big bunch of stuff and kinda lays one out for making a big pass, she says, "I'm impressed!" And somebody was telling her the other day how he was such a bore and she said, "So?" It's just something to come back with — that's destroying motion. Bam! Somebody gives you a big line of stuff and you say, "So?" 

 

(Or, furthermore?)

 

So? Which means, “Give me the rest of it.” You know, it's the tone of voice you use "So?" And it's gone, you see. So that is destroying motion and it seems to be a more civilized approach than fighting which can be either verbal or otherwise, right? And the other thing is that it sure beats holding because holding will give you ulcers, migraine headaches or thready pains — the whole schmear, hmm? That’ll make an old lady out of you.  You want none of that, huh?

 

(And make you fat.)

 

It will make you fat, yeah cause you're holding a lotta motion. Motion is energy and so you can get fat. Most of us go around holdin' a tremendous amount and we also go through a lot of time of returning motion to other people. We call that defending ourselves, or straightenin’ ‘em out, or makin’ ‘em see it like it is, okay? Of course, some of us never do anything like that; but some have, hmm? You ever do any of that, Robin? How about you? You never do that.

 

(The holding?)

 

Yeah.

 

(Uh… yes.)

 

You hold a bit of it. It is much simpler to just destroy it and be done with it. You can go on and probably be very good friends with the person who, if you sit there and bat it back and forth like a tennis game – I return it to you and you return it to me and I return it to you – gets monotonous after a while. Yes, dear?

 

(But you have to use some action to destroy; ignoring it doesn't work, right?)

 

Oh, no. Just ignoring it — that's a pretty way of holding it. That's the “ladylike” way of holding it.

 

(So, saying something is doing an action.)

 

You really destroy the thing. It's ended then, the whole transaction is over with. Cause If you just attempt to ignore it… now if you really ignored it, it'd be all right. But most of the time when we are ignoring things we are holding it. That's the ladylike way of holding motion. 

 

(Right.)

 

I think most everybody here has done a little holding. 

 

(Tolerating?)

 

That's the holding: “You know you're bad, but I'll show you how good I am and put up with you.” That's toleration.

 

(How about adjusting, isn’t that another word for holding?)

 

Well, isn't it? It's just another way of holding. I “adjust” to that if I show you I'm more superior than you are and I hold all your nasty insults and not fight back, huh? You do that every once in a while?

 

(Me?)

 

Yeah, and late in the night they break out. 

 

(I did that.)

 

Yeah.

 

(I did.)

 

They break out later, right – and you did hold it in. 

 

(Yes.)

 

And so, you know about it then. Now this is just one way of saying what we're talking about all the time. 

What's the next — does that cover the subject sufficient, Chris? Okay, next subject. Who wants it? Yes sir?

 

(On that same subject… to destroy — the easiest way then is to just change the subject.) 

 

Well, as long as you're not holdin' it, but are completed with it, okay? You got your lick in and got it done, but you did it with a joke instead of somethin' else. And there are, of course, other ways of destroying motion. One you could go take a wet towel and beat the bathtub with it but that's kind of hard on towels. (laughter) Okay, who's got another subject they'd like to talk about?  I'll talk about anything.  Yes, dear?