Sunday, 24 May 2015

Landmark Forum

Many of our problems stem from inadequate knowledge. In spite of being right in our faces or easily available, we are not open to receiving knowledge or learning. Our knowledge about how open or closed we are to receiving knowledge is the most important knowledge. Self knowledge changes the way we act and think and leads us to wisdom.

Self knowledge involves identifying what we know and what we do not know. This can be done by an individual. But in the realms of possibilities, there are many things we do not know that we do not know.

This knowledge can not be arrived at by an individual on his own. For that he needs to have a dialogue, because alone we can not see what we can not see. It takes a Guru, a coach, a mentor, a therapist or a confidante to guide us through the the process of recognition of  our many layers of ignorance and their subsequent acknowledgement.

Knowledge of Self requires guidance.

Philosophy as the practical art of uncovering and expanding self-knowledge. At the Landmark Forum, this is done by trained leaders; and the method is predominantly by sharing past experiences and by self expression of innermost feelings and experiences with complete strangers.

To describe the philosophy underlying the Landmark Forum, we first note that the actual language used in the dialogue reflects a distinctive paradigm. Words that are repeatedly used are common, but with meaning that encompasses a much larger spectrum. Ordinary words are used rigorously and repeatedly to give them extra ordinary meanings. These are called distinctions which propel the process of inquiry. These “distinctions” of the Forum, include but are not limited to: possibility, story/interpretation, authenticity-inauthenticity, empty and meaningless, transformation, language and being, integrity, and even the word distinction itself. Each is explained in context. As these distinctions are discussed in the Forum' the purpose is not just to understand them, but the emphasis is on living by these distinctions.

Possibility is not used in the ordinary sense; it does not refer to something that could or might happen. Rather, it is used in a way as a clearing for a new way of being. Possibility is both defined and distinguished as a phenomenon occurring now in present time, not in the future. When possibility is present, experience, expectations, and perspective open or are freed up. The distinction possibility is integral to literally everything that happens in the Forum. For example, genesis of a new realm of possibilities, as in that of being something that we are not or think that we are not. This is distinction of "Transformation". The distinction of transformation could be in terms of perception of oneself or the perception of a relationship.

For the genesis of a new realm of being, we have to let go of the identity that we are or think we are. Generally, who we actually are is a different being than we think we are. The latter is a "character" we like to play in our "story". We build stories around our character and this character takes over our identity.

Yet beyond the “me” that exists as a character in my story, there is a me, the author or source of the story. The Forum suggests that we as the teller or the maker of the story is distinct from the character in the story. We are not our story, we are not our feelings.

We can now see beyond the dramatic narratives with which we, without awareness, formerly identified.  We realise and know something we did not know that we did not know. When we are able to distinguish what our story is, an obstacle to self knowledge is removed. This shift in perspective happens when Forum participants consider the hold their stories have on them and focus specifically on the difference between “what happened” in their lives and their interpretation of “what happened.”

We learn that some interpretations work better than others. Meanings that are laced with righteousness, resentment and resignation; regardless of supporting evidence; can often be counter productive. They pull one out of living in the present. They attribute causality to others and to external situations. They limit freedom, squelch aliveness, and constrain social interactions. In Forum terms, there is no possibility.

When “stories” rule the day, there is little freedom for anything else. Moreover, humans enrich their stories with significance and become attached to them. That attachment keeps us small, defended, and protective. We humans are “meaning making machines.” This is dramatically demonstrated in the Forum as participants chime in with fresh realizations from their own lives.

Authenticity :

In the Forum “being true to myself” entails to a  possibility free from undistinguished stories with which I have unwittingly identified. To develop such authenticity, Forum participants are asked to look closely at its opposite. They are invited to acknowledge their own inauthenticities. They begin sharing stories about how they remain silent when one should speak up, send holiday cards to people one dislikes, making insincere compliments. We discover that “looking good” drives inauthentic actions. This exercise is the playful beginning of examining inauthenticity in core relationships and in one's work. Soon revelations of inauthenticities get more serious.

Sharing such inauthenticities in a large group makes one realise that the distinction of inauthenticity is not uncommon at all. There is no need to be secretive about our inauthenticities any more. In fact, it is quite contagious to be either authentic or inauthentic. Imagine a world where everybody was authentic! This realisation frees us from our self imposed limitations.  Pretense and dishonesty are one form of inauthenticity. A second is not distinguishing story, identifying with one’s taken-for-granted drama as described above. Once aware of inauthenticities, Forum participants acknowledge them to the persons with whom or toward whom they have been inauthentic. Acknowledging in this context means taking full responsibility for their actions and being prepared for the consequences. This is the most difficult part of the Forum and I doubt everyone does acknowledge all of their inauthenticities.

Forum participants understand and realize that their stories occurred in the past.  This clears the burden of failed relationships or misunderstandings or distances created with self or close relatives. The impact of the stories they created is totally unconstructive and totally irrelevant to their present or future . This creates a possibility of generating a future where they could live more fully. Thus completing the past or being at peace with the past is an integral part of generating a new realm of possibilities.

Already Always Listening :

As mentioned earlier, we humans have a habit of attaching meaning which serve to justify our lives and thoughts. A set way of being is called already always listening. Without actually focussing on what is being said or done in a given situation, we make our own assumptions regarding the situation. This could be in our attitude towards a particular person which can be broadly termed as a prejudice. We carry the baggage of past experience or our story regarding a past experience to make judgements towards the current situation. This blurs our perception and creates a obstacles in communication.

Integrity and Responsibility :

The participants of the Forum are asked to list out what they would like to achieve from the Landmark Forum when they sign up.  To be able to achieve the intended transformation in one's life, one needs to bring about the practical changes which are considered difficult; if not unreachable. The range of goals varies from being a good parent, improving personal or marital relationships, success at work or financial gain.

There remains a fundamental distinction that allows declarations to be effective rather than limp and wishful. The course leader distinguishes integrity, which is defined as “honoring one’s word as oneself.” By understanding a declaration to be my creation, declaring becomes linked to my very existence. In addition it becomes clear that declarations carry weight only to the extent that I stand for and behind them, as answerable both for carrying them out and confronting the consequences. Integrity and responsibility feed on one another.

Emphasis is to respond rather than react in a given situation, For this,  we must be completely open and receptive to everything around us, down to its finest nuances and details. To react, on the other hand, is to be at the mercy of old stories. We respond in so far as we transcend such stories in order to be available, first, to what is there, and second, to what is possible.

“Responsibility,” according to The Charter of The Landmark Education Corporation, “begins with the willingness to be cause in the matter of one’s life. Ultimately, it is a context from which one chooses to live.”





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