Workshop - Rodey, NM -1979 - Part 2
In creating a companion to the audio files found in the “Links” section,
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Dr. Bob’s laid-back “Kentucky-ese” is retained – not correcting his grammar
makes reading it sound like he’s actually talking.
In addition, he purposefully used not only specific words,
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Audience (laughter) is noted; he was a master at keeping the mood up!
(Audience participation is parenthesized and separated from his words.)
Speakers’ emphasized words are in italics.
[Anything offering clarity is added by the proofreader and italicized inside brackets.]
Some tenets of the Teaching are in bold.
Access the mp3 at:
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[BEGINNING CD #3 OF 4]
...now that was a stimuli/response, they weren’t doing it. Now, we could play some very beautiful music and of a certain kind, and everybody gets going like that [rhythmically pounds on the podium] in minutes. Now, that’s stimuli/response; you didn’t do it. And while you felt good, you gotta have your entourage come around to keep you feelin’ up there all the time. Now, I also watch these people who the minister used this term [imitating Southern evangelist’s voice:] “Power, Power, Power, Power,” and when they walked out they fell apart. He had ‘em up but it was from stimuli/response – not from their own inner state of enthusiasm. And they had gobs of it there for a few minutes, but when he let ‘em out the door they went “pow.”
So it is for that reason that we never do anything that puts people in a certain state if we can keep from it. Now, I’ll settle that in a little bit – once in a while – we’re gonna talk a bit about that because we want the person to do it for themselves. Now, we will tell you “how” – if you want to, we’ll give you a “how-to.” You can put yourself in any state of feeling you want to feel if you will figure out how you would act if you already felt that way and you begin to consistently act that way. Now, if you want to feel angry, all you got to do is to get angry – how would you act if you were angry, Paul? Have you ever been angry in your life? How did you act?
(Angrily.)
Let’s have a demonstration. (lots of laughter) So if you begin to act angry – even though you’re not angry a bit in the world – you will find your heart beat will go up, your inner state of body will begin to perform with it. You’ll fill yourself full of adrenalin and you will feel as angry as you can be in a very few minutes, okay?
(I’d bite their heads off.)
You could chew ‘em up, spit ‘em out, huh? Now, if you wanted to feel very sad – you could begin to walk around like so many people we see come in the restaurant [stumbling and shuffling his feet]…stumblin’ around. “How many of you up for?” [more stumbling and grumbling] “Four for dinner?” [more stumbling and mumbles:] “Yeah.” (lots of laughter) …still sad and still miserable. Now, if you act that way a few minutes, you’re gonna feel that way. [repeats it with emphasis:] If you act that way a few minutes, you’re goin’ to feel that way. Now, if you wanna act like that, you are feelin’ very guilty – you stop and think of somethin’ that you’ve done that you should not ought to have done – you know, accordin’ to somebody’s rules and regulations. And you begin to feel, “Oh, I wish I hadn’t done that.” And you watch how you perform, and you’ll get into a certain state, and you’ll feel very guilty for a few minutes. Now, if you want to feel any way, you first must take charge. We’ll put it on here, anyway… [writes it on board:] “Take Charge.”
How do you take charge? You start buildin’ you a new frame of reference that is you – that you want. How do you want it to be? You can have it any ways you want it. I’m not the person to tell you what to put in your frame of reference or what feeling you want. I do say that if you are tired of living with all the things that goes on and this stuff we had over here under self-knowing, that you can raise yourself to the level of thankfulness merely by observing what is and beginning to act what you’ve already got. In other words, you can’t feel thankful unless you act thankful, hmm? You just simply can’t – it just won’t materialize. You can talk about it. You can talk and you can sound sad and mournful and, “Oh I know I have so much to be thankful for, but...” – here comes that 2% out there and they just not gonna put up with it. Now, we all want 100% of our preference, but every one of us has a minimum of 98% of your preference; and if you look at it, I think you’ll find you got 100. Thank goodness, they left that two out there so we have to look around just a little bit to see that maybe I wouldn’t want you to be a robot. And I sure wouldn’t want you to be a robot and I sure wouldn’t want my pretty one to be a robot there, right? I like for her to be unexpected – delightful every once in a while – totally unexpected, you know? But what ought to be – the old man’s busy with what ought to be and she isn’t that always, in that moment, fittin’ somebody’s idea of what ought to be; but she’s always been right there. Now, what state of being would you like to be in, Jim?
(Well, I’d always be in enthusiasm.)
Well, that’s pretty heavy stuff to live with all the time. How about just drop it down a notch and just be thankful, okay? If you’re usin’ up enthusiasm all the time and you’re not used to it, it’d be like tryin’ to climb mountains when you’re used to walking on flat ground and it’d bring you up. So you could go up there by degrees, okay? But you could stand being thankful.
You want to be the New Man or do you want to be the old man? You want to be one you’re in charge of or do you want one that circumstances – stimuli/response – determine? So you’re around somebody who lifts you up and you’re up. You meet somebody else and they go “blump,” and you hit bottom, huh? You want to live that way or do you want to be in charge? There’s nobody to keep you from it, is there? We lay out all the little material you need to work with – and now, if you don’t use it, it’s worthless, isn’t it?
Now, it’s like your beautiful equipment. If you don’t use it, you might as well have a cardboard drawing of it sittin’ in front of you. Is that right? Okay? If you have a beautiful automobile and you never drive it – leave it at home settin’ up on blocks, you might as well not have it, is that right? Money not used is the same way. It might as well be pieces of coupons from Proctor and Gamble; it wouldn’t make any difference. You know, you’re not goin’ to spend it anyways. Might as well carry around a bunch of soap coupons as you would dollar bills, it doesn’t make any different if you’re not going to use it.
Now, what kind of a state do you want to be in? Do you want to be actin’ the old man with the stimuli/response – conflict from thinkin’, and the struggle, looking at what ought to be? Now, if your value is in what ought to be, no way can you get out of it – anytime you’re trying to set up.
But if you ever stop and look at what is and start living that what is – which means you will be acting the part that you discover in what is – you will be a new person. Now, it doesn’t take some long drawn-out time. It may take you a little while to practice, but it wouldn’t take any of us here very long to learn to fly an airplane – the ones of us that’ve never flown one. It wouldn’t take us but a very few hours, I think. In fact, I asked Mr. Egly the other day and he said it took about 10 hours to solo – 30 minutes in time for 20 times.
Now, you could practice 30 minutes at being, shall we say, in charge of things, Paul? And being thankful. Now, there’s no way you could be enthusiastic yet, I know that – that’d be just too big a shock to the system. It couldn’t put up with it. But you could at least get up to bein’ thankful, couldn’t you, hmm? That you could do, huh? Just in case those of you that don’t know Paul and you don’t know me, there is no game goin’ on. Paul has agreed to play the straight man for me for several years; and he is so good at it, he don’t even have to play the part, he just is. (lots of laughter) So we really don’t have to train him or anything – that saves a lot of time. Other people I would have to train see, so I don’t have to train him. But you don’t have to stay… [indicates level on board] down here, Paul.
(I came here to mind my own business today.)
I know, you thought you did, but Tina brought you so... You’re sickly right here, Paul. Right there, man. Right there, right there, Paul. Don’t kid yourself. But you can go up to here if you take charge, okay?
(Okay.)
All right, let’s have questions comments and whatever you’d like. Now, you can be anywheres you want to if you’re willing to practice being there and seeing what is. Now, you have to look at what is. Now, “what ought to be” sounds so grand and glorious but all it winds up with is more and more conflict and struggle and the old man’s total interest – his value, his treasure, is what ought to be. The New Man’s treasure is what is. But the old man never did look at the 98. He’s so busy lookin’ at the 2% that he never even realized how wealthy, how gloriously, how greatly he had been gifted when he arrived in this world. How greatly have we been gifted – just give us life. What would you take for it? If somebody walked up and said, “I’m gonna cut your throat,” and you had a million bucks, would you pay him to get the knife away? If that’s the only way to get away, Jim?
(You better believe it.)
You better believe it – right quick. Would you sell a matched set of eyeballs for 20 million? Teako says he’d think about it, but I know Teako – he’s already got 20 million so what would 20 more do him? (laughter) What good would it do?
But we can have that which everyone is interested in is an inner feeling – that’s what you always go for anyway. When you want more money, it’s because you believe that havin’ more money would give you a new inner feeling, isn’t that right, Richard? If you wanted to have most anything, you always go that it would give you a new feeling. If you wanted a new house, a new automobile, a trip around the world or whatever touches your fancy today, the reason for wantin’ it is that you feel it would give you a feeling you want. Is that correct? And we only think about it now as a stimuli/response mechanism so that if we got the million dollars, that would be the stimuli. The response was I’d feel wonderful for a few minutes until I got to wondering if I better not have two. Or somethin’ might happen to that one and it would all be gone then again, right? You’d lose it away. Now, is this what everyone is lookin’ for – is that they feel they’re 100% stimuli/response mechanism? And won’t you “please make a certain stimuli come my way” – like a good-lookin’ man or a rich man – that what you want, Jeannie, a good-lookin’, rich man? That would be the proper stimuli. Give you a fine response for a few minutes.
One time dear little Jeannie told me she wanted a man. So I got her one. Then she wanted a particular one and I got him. And she’s been readin’ me off ever since. I shoulda known how it was gonna turn out, shouldn’t I, Jeannie? Right? But you didn’t ask me about that, you just said you wanted him. So I said, “Fine, you can have him.” (laughter) And that would be the proper stimuli, then you would be all right. But Jeannie, no matter what stimuli’s you get, your response will only be very temporary and then it’ll fall apart.
And the only way you will have the feeling you want is not to demand money or anything else but to how you see what is; and whether you put value on what is or whether you put value on what the stimuli/response mechanism in man says ought to be. So you want to be happy and delightful and feel full of joy and all that stuff? You go up here [pointing to the Tone Scale on the board] and then the things that goes with that state do seem to come into our experience – or we begin to see everything where it really belongs, I think. I don’t think anything comes, I think we just begin to see what’s already there and we begin to feel all right. Huh?
(How can you…(unclear))
Well, I’m sorry, honey, you’re always saying the appropriate words and you’re very thankful, but you don’t feel thankful when you don’t act that way, honey, I’m sorry. You’ve tried the opposite – you really act thankful once and you’ll see what a difference there is than just sayin’ the words.
(So what do you want me to do?)
I don’t want you to do anything, honey, just how would you think a person acts when they’re thankful? Look at little, uh, uh – what’s your name today, honey?
(Terri)
Terri, Terri Lee today. Now, you watch Terri Lee for a while – she acts thankful. Now, you will put on a show for her, won’t you? So Jeannie can see what it’s like. You gonna act thankful, Terri? And, Jeannie, you watch her for the next little bit and see how Terri’s acting. So, Terri’s gonna act thankful now. Now, Paul is gonna act “word-thankful”, and physically apathetic. (lots of laughter) You watch him and see which one you want to do, okay? In other words, you are a unit and your words can say one thing and the mind can say one thing. But if it’s not saying it strong enough and is of value enough that X acts upon it so the body comes in line and demonstrates it – the body is the motor function – then you’re just rattlin’ your ivories and you really haven’t gotten anywheres, okay? So you want to be all the way up there and you put on the act. So you watch little Terri, she’s gonna put on a good show of being thankful for you for a little bit, okay?
(I can say I want to be thankful but I’m not.)
You’re saying the proper words, but you really don’t have the feeling. I’m sorry, try it out – you’re probably as thankful as you’ve ever felt. But you want to go about 20 times higher than that? That’s what you said you was a little hungry for – that’s why you wanted to come today, wasn’t it?
(Yeah.)
Okay, then put on an act with it and see the difference than just sayin’ the words, “Oh, I’m thankful I’m alive. I’m thankful I have children…but I’m so miserable because I don’t have a companion.” It all comes out in the same tone of voice, you know? Put it together, lift it up. Watch Teri, she’s gonna show for you, okay? Don’t wait for the stimuli/response. Now…
[All of a sudden there’s lots of laughter; Terri jumps up and runs down the aisle and throws her arms around Dr. Bob, giving him a huge hug, demonstrating thankfulness.]
Okay, Terri, did you feel much different?
(Yes I did!!!)
Okay, now keep on actin’ that way – not all necessarily on me getting’ hugged but… That’s good, you got Teako here, that’s good. Okay, is there questions now? Where do you want to live? You wanna live as the old man or do you want to live as the New Man? Strip off the old man and all his needs and put on the New Man – it’s entirely up to you; but it doesn’t take years and years of hard work. It takes knowing the direction it is going. It is like it doesn’t take long to get from here to Las Cruces if you know the way; but if you didn’t know the way, you’re liable to end up in Missoula, Montana.
(unclear question is asked)
Well, that’s what we talked about practicing. That’s taking time – rememberin’ what you want to feel. Where are you? What’s going on here? What are you? You’re a privileged invited guest. Now, you have to practice it a little bit at a time for a while until it becomes spontaneous – like drivin’ a car. Now, you don’t have to remember every day how to put your clothes on, do you? Or how to cook a meal or how to put your face on, or how to do your hair or how to do somebody else’s hair or whatever. You don’t have to go through all that every day because you built you a frame of reference, right? But in order to be able to do certain chores, you went to school and studied a while until you got that where it was spontaneous, is that right? You know, I watched you many times do a lady a beautiful hairstyle while you was yakking to her about somethin’ miles away from hairstylin’, right? But you had the frame of reference and just went right on and did it, right? That’s the way you want everything now. You got to get the frame of reference so that you are in the state of being you want –takes a very short length of time to do it if you practice 30 minutes a day. Could you spare 30 minutes a day for 30 days? Well then, by that length of time, you can be up there [points to level on the board] all the time, okay? Thirty minutes a day for 30 days. Can you do that? Now, take off Saturday and Sunday – don’t overdo yourselves. (laughter) Five days a week. Now maybe go six weeks but still get 30 days in – but do take a couple of days off to be miserable.
One time, many years ago I was workin’ with a dear lady over there near Clovis, New Mexico, who none of you know her so I’ll even use her name. And she came almost daily to my office. [mimics a whiny, complaining voice] Oh, she had a pain here today, and she had a pain here tomorrow, and she was so miserable, and she was so nervous, she never slept a wink last night and she couldn’t eat – when she ate it hurt – and on and on…it was just miserable every day. And one day she said, “Dr. Bob, is there any way I could feel good?” I said, “Yes, anytime you want to.” “Well, how?” I said, “Will you do it?” She said, “Yes.” I said, “Well, all you got to do is just go around seein’ everything as just lovely and makin’ everybody feel good, and you don’t complain about one thing – not even about that irrigation pump across the road that keeps you awake at night – nor you don’t ever complain about your kids, and you don’t gossip about all the people in Clovis.” She said, “I’ll do it.” So I didn’t hear from her for about 10 days and she called me up and said, “Dr. Bob, this is Miss Rose.” I said, “How are you, Miss Rose?” “I never felt better in my life, but how long do I have to keep this foolishness up?” (uproarious laughter)
So, it all depends on how long you want to keep this foolishness up, you know? It’s how long do you want to feel up there? You see certain of the people who have lived in a various state of thankfulness and enthusiasm has been referred to by themselves as the “Idiots of God” or the “Idiots of Life.” The reason bein’ they was just enjoying everything so much while everybody else was seeing how serious it was. And so they were called “Idiots” because they was enjoyin’ when all the rest the people were being miserable – they just hadn’t seen the seriousness of the situation.
Now, would you like to get over seein’ the seriousness of the situation and go out there and live fine – you don’t have to wait for nobody to change. You don’t have to have your friends nor your family nor your relatives nor the customers – nobody else to change, you go wherever you want to right now. But you have to put on the act as well as say the words. And you don’t just listen to what we have talked about so you can repeat it; but you put it to work. It would be like Bill cooked a big pot of stew today, but he couldn’t eat it for anybody. You had to eat for yourself, is that right, Paul? Did it eat right tolerable?
(It was very good.)
It’s tolerable, anyway. Eat right tolerable.
(I was afraid to eat very…)
That’s one stimuli that sets him off – is when he’s eatin’. You put food in front of him, and I guarantee it will be eaten – doesn’t matter what it is. Okay, we’re still tryin’ to get somebody to talk back to me a little bit. You got any comments, discussion points you want to talk about?
(You want to talk about potential?)
About the potential. You have thousands of potentials. You and you alone can choose which ones you will actualize. I have the potential of bein’ a murderer, a rapist, a robber, a thief, a sneak thief, a burglar, or a saint. I don’t want to do either one of ‘em. I wanna kinda stay in between, you know? I don’t want to get caught out there on either end of those extremes. But we all have the potential for doin’ anything that a human has done. I prefer for me, and me alone, to actualize my potential of being a good guest. You actualize whichever ones you like.
Now, I’ve actualized the potential of reading and spelling a word or two, and countin’ a few dollars, and all this kind of stuff; but the real potential is what you want to do with your value. In our potential we can value anything. You know, I have the potential of bein’ a hit man – I don’t want that job. I have a potential of bein’ a saint – I don’t want that job. I just like to be a good guest while I’m here – that’s my potential. Which one do you like? You will have to pick because you got ‘em all, right? You got all potentials that any human’s ever done – you have the potential – and you could actualize it if you make it of value to actualize that potential. Right, Jim?
(Right.)
You know, Jim has the potential of being a computer doctor. He has the potential of being a sailor. He has the potential of being a movie-maker and he has actualized some of those; but there’s a jillion more you haven’t touched, is that right? And you probably never will. I’m just not interested in some of those potentials – this trip anyway, maybe some other day I’ll be – but today I’m only interested in actualizing the potential of being a good guest. Peggy?
(Will you talk about playing a role?)
Yeah, you would have to actualize it by making it into your technical frame of reference, so to speak. Okay? Or your conditioned frame of reference or your Teaching frame of reference – depends on which ones you want to actualize – ‘til it becomes a frame of reference. You see, we haven’t actualized it until it becomes a frame of reference. Before then we’ve only talked about it – could be any one. A person who would actualize being an actor could actualize the acting ability and demonstrate 50 roles, okay? But that wouldn’t mean that the role was the potential, but his ability as an actor, okay, or an actress. And then it would be very worthwhile.
Okay, we’ll take a few minutes break and we’ll have the second main feature in the movies, and Dave will sell the popcorn in the meantime and…what else goes with it? Popcorn, candy, peanuts – the whole works.
[Picking up after the break:]
Not-Is and all these bits of conditioning have no value to you in your grown-up world. Now, they have a very decided value to a child; but we somewheres along we cease being children. It’s like I asked a lady the other day that was worryin’ about what her obligations to her children were. I asked her at what age does a person cease to be a “children” and become an adult? Did you ever think about that, Isabel? At what age do we cease bein’ children and become adults, huh?
(I’ve thought about that.)
You thought about that. So, they do grow up sometime, and we all grow up and the conditioning no longer serves a purpose. And that is the old man and served its purpose, and then we can take it off and put on a New Man. A New Man is interested in what is. The old man is very interested in what ought to be, what should have been, and what should be in the future. But the New Man is interested in what is. And we look at what is, we have a minimum of 98% of our preference right now. And that seems to me enough to say, “I’m a very, very lucky man.” When I’m a lucky man, I am thankful.
Now, we also looked that you cannot have a feeling that you’re not acting. You can talk about you feel serene with all kinds of tied-up knots, and you are not telling the truth very well – you don’t feel serene. And you can also say you’re very thankful in a sad and mournful tone; but you are not thankful. And you will only be that as you act it out. You can’t even be romantic, feel romantic without acting it. Did you ever notice that? It just flat won’t work – you got to go through the act first and then you’ll get to feelin’ that way in a few minutes. And if you wanted to be enthusiastic, in which you can accomplish almost anything, believe it or not, you have to act enthusiastic along with being it. So to be enthusiastic, is to further put on the act so that everybody will know it.
Now, if you go and stand on the street corner in the city or in a big mall somewheres and watch the people go by, you can almost tell exactly what their inner feeling is by just lookin’ at them. You can tell by the way they walk, by the way they stand, their facial expression and everything else – you can tell how they feel. Now, you know you might have remarked that that person looks like he’s carryin’ the weight of the world on his shoulders. And they do. And one can practice whatever one wants, whatever state of inner being you particularly like, until it becomes a frame of reference. A frame of reference is something you no longer have to think about, you do it spontaneously and whatever come up and then that is you. And that is the thing that anybody can work at.
So, with the material that you’ve been given today, which is very shortly and put together, you can have any state of being you want. And you can have it within – let’s see, we allowed six weeks that you don’t work on the weekend, you only work five days a week, Joan. Thirty minutes a day. You could do that, couldn’t you? Okay, 30 minutes a day for five days a week for six weeks. That’ll give you 30 days and you would have a frame of reference very established. And you no longer have to live down here being a stimuli/response and constantly feeling you’re a victim. And you are a victim of circumstances when you live here and don’t take charge.
When you try to think it out, you think so far and then it says, “But on the other hand, you know…” “A” and “B” get their little confession in there and so we stay in a state of conflict and struggle – a struggle towards an illusion that someday I will get all the not-I’s so improved that they won’t bother me. That is a waste of time. But we can leave it immediately. We can go up here and begin to look at what is – and what is is the fact that you have a minimum of 98% of your preference right now. And if that’s not enough to make you thankful, I don’t know what it would take, do you, Miss Marj? Do you have 98% of your preference this moment?
(I’m batting a hundred.)
Now, you look like it – a minute ago you didn’t. You have to act it out a little bit, dear – then I’ll buy it, see? I wanna see you act it all the time – I like that big smile you have there. It looks more like you’re bein’ thankful than when we get all serious now. Paul takes care of the serious matters for all of us. Nobody has to work on it except Paul – he takes care of the seriousness.
When I was a kid growin’ up back in Kentucky, there was a few people around the community that never did anything. And my mother said you had to have an idle wheel on everything. And so that these people served their purpose ‘cause they was like the governor on a big engine. We had steam engines and they had governors on ‘em to keep ‘em from just going “zip” and runnin’ away with themselves. So we always have to have somebody to be serious. Now, I don’t want the job; but Paul has volunteered to take care of the seriousness. And so he takes care of that and I don’t get bothered with it myself. I’m just not the serious type. And it would be interesting for each of us in our daily existence, wherever we be, to see what kind of mood we want to take on. Now, I don’t know that we need too many serious people…we have to have one now and then. Bonnie?
(I have a tendency to be very grave.)
Right, and the only grave we have is outside the buildin’ here with a bell sittin’ on it. So there is a grave out there in case anybody wants to be very grave – why, we have a place and there’s room for one more. So, we don’t need any people being grave.
And you do find that everything in your world works very, very easily
when you are at least thankful.
And, every now and then, you can be a little enthusiastic; and it really doesn’t hurt a thing. We have tried to demonstrate that with a place down the road here that’s called a steak house of some sort. We started about three years ago, 3-½ years ago, with 80 seats. We could seat 80 people; and by being thankful, and keepin’ up a bit of enthusiasm, and keeping a nice feeling in the place, it has continually grown until today it has 400 seats, and there was still a waiting line Saturday night. So, whatever interest you have and whatever business you’re interested in or whatever endeavor you’re interested in, you can do likewise. And it does grow very beautifully as long as you keep that mood up there. Now, we might say this is the mood. This is, “I’m a victim” mood. Did you ever go through any of that? Anybody here try to bein’ the victim – you ever a victim, Jim?
(Yes, I have.)
And it’s not very pleasant, is it?
(Very unpleasant.)
You’re just dependin’ on whatever the people do for how you feel. Now, as long as – you know, I’ve noticed other people have their own affairs to look after – and I can’t see that anybody’s obligated to keep my mood up. I don’t know of anybody that needs to spend any time keepin’ my mood up. They got other things to do – did you ever think that?
(Not that way.)
They got other things to do, they don’t need to be bothered with me. So, it’s up to me. When I get up here, you have what’s known as “spiritual power” – and don’t try to ask me for a definition of it – but you’ll find that you can accomplish almost anything you set out to do. Now, it requires a little that the motor function has to go along with it over here, remember? Now, there’s a lot of people would like to put the brake on the motor here; but the motor function’s got to go along and it’s all in accord and balance. The only thing is, you can go a lot longer before you ever know to get tired, okay?
All right, is there any questions, comments, points you want to discuss? I’m through talkin’ about what I want to talk about, now I’ll talk about what you want to talk about. Who’s got a word?
(I wanted to ask you a question...about the film. Above the cross with the sign it has IRRI on it. What does that mean?) [she meant INRI]
[END OF CD #3]
[BEGINNING CD #4 OF 4] [repeats last two paragraphs]
Who’s good in Latin? It’s a Latin phrase – it means, accordin’ to what time it’s put up there: “Jesus Christ, Jesus King of the Jews”. And the Jews said, “Put on there he said he was king.” And old Pilate said, “Whatever I writ, I writ, man, let it alone.” It said Jesus, King of the Jews. That’s Hebrew – it was originally, of course, I suppose in Roman Alphabet but that’s all right, whatever.
(Unclear questions about thieves.)
Two thieves sittin’ right here. Here’s thief “A” and here’s thief “B.” [write this on board] They’re busy. Thief A says, “Complain, stick up for your rights, and blame if circumstances just didn’t come out – because we’re victims of circumstance. And the other one says, “Please everybody, quote your proper authorities, and be different, and then you will control circumstances and then they will all be right.” And you still don’t control circumstance, so those are the thieves that we said this mornin’ – that we were interested in the ideas of liberation. Liberation from the thieves, okay? And there are one on each side of all of us if we want to stay down with the thieves. But I would rather be raised up a bit and not be bothered with the thieves, okay? Another question, comment, point? Yes, Jeannie?
(Is the conditioning part – isn’t that essential in bringing the children up to a certain point, a certain age?)
Oh yes, it’s very essential. Because they get the “A” part, with no effort on your part, and you put the “B” in – and then when they get in enough conflict, they’ll grow up, okay? Yes, seems to be essential to have a little “B” there because if “A” has it all by itself…so we said “A” and “B” served a wonderful purpose for a certain stage of your existence. But all of us have outgrown it and we’re still usin’ it and that’s when it gets into difficulties, okay? (unclear comment) Right.
(Unclear question regarding brainwashing.)
Right. Then you get the guilties and then you try to treat ‘em real nice for a little while. And they get the upper hand on you, and when you can’t take that no longer, you get back bein’ the boss. So you jump from feelin’ guilty to feelin’ sorry for yourself because the kids run over you. And then you get guilty feelings because you have to discipline a little bit. But, Jeannie, I will have to tell you – you do one thing very well – you raise children very nice. Your two that’s up runnin’ around are very beautiful children – very well-conditioned. And when they’re about 15, I’ll go to work on ‘em and get ‘em out of it, okay? (lots of laughter) But, in the meantime I’m very thankful you’re doin’ a good job even though you go through guilties and self-pity. But your little ones are very beautifully behaved for this stage of their existence. When they get a little older, I’ll take over, okay?…and blow it. (laughter) Okay, another question, comment, something you want to discuss – we’ll talk about anything if you’ll throw the subject out.
Okay, it has indeed been a pleasure to be here with you today and we thank everybody for coming. And thank you for making your little contributions to stick on the floor and we’ll invite you back as soon as we get the floor stuck up good. Okay? And we’ll see how it looks then.
[END OF CD #4 OF 4 – END OF RODEY ’79 WORKSHOP]