The World of Wisdom
The World of Wisdom is swirling and sparkling,
nothing stands still and it’s always growing.
Communication
I see a chicken pen with chickens bustling about inside the wire netting. In the right-hand corner there’s something that looks like a little house on stilts. The little house is accessible by means of a ramp with strips of wood on it so the chickens can go in and out.
Nearly everything is painted a dark green – the woodwork of the fence, the little house and the ramp. Only the ground is yellowish as it is covered with sand and sawdust in which the chickens are scratching. A large rooster stands over in the corner of the chicken pen and, like a sentry it is overseeing its harem.
I can see various hens, one of which is wearing a necklace. It’s a silvery necklace with charms attached to it; another hen has paws that are painted red. Then there is one hen that all of them have apparently been pecking at because it is practically bald.
Possibly you may have seen the image of this chicken pen with all these different hens. In our language the symbol of a pen is used for a conversational situation. So when humans are chattering a lot we show a pen. So the chicken pen image is used as a subject to demonstrate how humans get along in conversational situations – situations that everybody encounters in everyday life.
Human beings talk quite readily, if only to say such things as: ‘Nice weather today, isn’t it?’ – an easy opening sentence that anybody can pronounce. This kind of talking is actually the kind we want to elaborate on. So we’re not discussing ‘speaking’ which, in our view, reveals something about the human himself, whereas talking is so trite; at times rather banal what is said between humans.
In the image of the pen you will have noticed that everything was green, meaning that talking to each other belongs in the green vibration. Here humans usually try to make a connection between things concerning the matter.
A human being is used to talking with his fellow human beings, be it with someone at the checkout counter, at the baker’s, or with the postman delivering mail to the door: everyone thinks a few words are called for. When you come to think of it, this is a strange situation because often you actually don’t feel the need to say anything at all. But this is so embedded in this culture that you automatically think, Gosh, if I don’t say something, they might think I’m a bit strange or standoffish, so I simply have to comply! And you think you will be more socially acceptable by saying a few words.
From our point of view this is not social behaviour at all.
Because in our view ‘being social’ involves contact between one human being and another, and in talking there is no such thing, whereas the human thinks he is making contact. Actually he is just looking for the right words, how to greet someone or what to say to the other at that particular moment. We find nothing social or personal in this. It’s merely a social convention, more or less agreed on in this society.
We showed you the hens with their various attributes. The hen with a necklace symbolizes a human in a conversational situation feeling ‘laced up’. The human knows whether he likes or dislikes someone, but when you start from this form of talking, you must say hello to everyone and talk to everyone, and personal preferences fade into the background.
Here we show that talking is no longer a form that suits you. We cannot expect from humans who are still in the orange, yellow or green vibration that they will change their point of view or are likely to become more conscious of the way humans interact.
However, someone who has progressed on his path to consciousness should reflect and wonder, Does this kind of interaction still suit me?
Usually we see that when someone asks himself such a question, he realizes these fleeting contacts in this society mean nothing to him, this way of interacting with others does not appeal to him, he doesn’t need it anymore, so he drops it. And yet, the next time there is someone at the door he starts all over again: ’Nice weather today, isn’t it?’ It is automatic human behaviour and humans easily relapse into this way of talking to each other.
So, we hope that you will gradually acquire greater awareness and next time you come into contact with someone, you’ll just keep silent for a change! This is very difficult for many humans and yet we say: ’This is the good way to experience who you really are!’
In the World of Wisdom talking does not exist; it is simply a human element. The essence has no need at all for talking: it lets itself be known in another way, usually in the form of emanating energy which touches other humans so the other has a feeling that it is good to be near that human for a while.
This is a non-verbal connection and that is precisely the way humans should interact, especially humans who have already progressed along their path.
Humans who are not very far on their path may use small talk, but for those of you who are more advanced, you can just watch and allow your energy to flow freely so the other relaxes.
He’s likely to sense, Listen to me chattering away but I don’t really know why I’m doing this.
Slowly a process will begin to unfold itself there too, simply through the energy you are emanating, without opening your mouth! It’s a very powerful force that everybody carries within himself. This is an experiment that is worth trying: just keep your mouth shut, remain close to yourself – and let the other do the talking. It is not that you are looking with disdain nor putting yourself arrogantly above the other; he can just do whatever he wants and, likewise, you do whatever you want.
Slowly a change will occur in the way humans interact.
However, perhaps you will say: ‘On the contrary, I think our society has become more and more antisocial. Everybody walks around plugged into his iPod, or they all have ear buds in and are Twittering and texting all the time’. Well, that is also a form of superficial communication, which has no sense either. As long as you are busy with those gadgets or just concerned with your own voice, and as long as you’re only present in words, you yourself aren’t present! Your physical form is there but your essence is no part of it.
When humans really speak with each other a whole new layer surfaces and you feel something is being said which really concerns the other human. For when someone is speaking one should listen to the other, and that is a different way of interacting. It is not so much that you expect to be listened to – that’s what happens when talking – but when really speaking with each other you have a different attitude from the outset.
We know the ways of communicating that most humans indulge in: just take a look at the coffee-corner on a Monday morning. Everybody is chattering about all the soccer highlights over the weekend, about the many fantastic goals, and about that detestable commentator who didn’t see it correctly. It seems as if humans are listening to each other because they all experienced the same thing. And yet, we see that it involves nothing other than talking. It is not speaking about something but talking about your own perception, from your own point of view, and no one is listening to what anybody else really has to say!
A human who merely talks moves further away from himself, but a human who really speaks with someone comes closer to himself.
When you feel respect for someone and speak with him, that respect is reciprocated between you.
It is also a form of communication – communication which involves both sides!
When a human claims to be communicating when actually he’s simply talking, we cannot say it involves both sides: it is a dialogue between the deaf.
You also saw a hen with paws that were painted red. This signifies that when someone is talking he takes in the appearance of the other and pays attention to his exterior. When you are speaking with someone you don't notice whether his shoes are polished or not and you don’t pay attention to the exterior!
It is fun to find that out for yourself; because not only will you feel more at ease, but you won’t be hampered by your insecurities nor bothered by thoughts such as, Oh dear, can I say this, should I say this, suppose I’ve got it wrong, what will they think of me?
Such ways of seeing things belong to the chicken pen!
Only a human who is talking tends to think, The human I am talking to at the moment has a university degree, and I only have a vocational training and I can never measure up to him. Whereas when you are really speaking with someone your whole being is involved. Your essence is involved in the conversation and it’s for this reason that external factors are no longer important.
It no longer matters what somebody looks like or what his education has been or whether someone is a much better speaker… All that just fades into insignificance when you are really engaged in speaking and when you allow someone to really speak.
That’s the way it happens when you start working on the process of your own consciousness-raising. It always starts out with talking but slowly it will evolve into speaking until you become like a hermit and keep your mouth shut.
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