Who Is Writing Your Script?

Café-Salon Philosophique #5

January 3, 1998

No. of Participants: 25

Bubb's Café - 30th & Baseline in Boulder Colorado. The event is held every first and Third Saturday of every month

Host and moderator for this event is Samuel Avital one of the world's greatest mime artist and "provocateur extraordinaire".

The topic for the evening's discussion was, "Who's writing your script? Who plays the lead role in your life? Who is your true being?

Samuel Avital, Moderator for Boulder's Café Salon Philosophique began the evening with jokingly asking individuals to introduce themselves and share how many educational degrees they had. Some with sincerity and seriousness did give the number of degrees they had. While another stated that he had a "PHB" (Practicing Human Being). Others conveyed that they are continuing to learn through "experience," while others stated that they are learning all the time "because life changes." Many continue to enjoy and pursue topics of interest through formal education at various institutions and organizations.

The first question asked of the group was, Who is writing your script? What outside authority figures do we let influence our life? We defined authority figures such as TV, the media, family, friends, cultural and environmental as influencing factors in our lives. One Café participant named Al, described how we allow others to fill in the gaps of our lives so that we may gain so called, "love and acceptance" and "approval from others" for conforming to the norms of society. Do we make conscious choices and act on our own everyday? The general consensus was no.

The group then began a discussion about personal history, genetics and how we are influenced to imitate those things we grew up with in our environment. One participant believed that "we come into this world with a history." This being our personality and spirit. As we grow and develop from the time we are little, our experiences influence who and what we are as a person. The way this society runs doesn't allow much time for us to think and do for ourselves. People "don't have the time" for working towards the goal of taking action for discovering "the true being." We get caught in our own little worlds and routines and don't realize that there is more to life than just existing. The pace makes us end up feeling as though we're "missing something".

One participant named Matthew, shared the following poem by Hugo Von Hofmannsthal with the group.

"Words have been placed in
your mouth, and a chain has
been placed in your hand; Pull!
or you will be dragged."

Conversation then moved to does freedom really exist? One participant named Jim, shared an experience about the days of "free love" out in California. He related how trying to experience freedom without structure did not work. So, the group agreed that there must some kind of foundation or structure from which to rebuild lives in order to work towards the goal of achieving freedom.

One Café participant then stated, "people say they want freedom, that they want to be responsible, that they want to change, but then when it comes right down to it, they become cowardice and fearful. It seems that very few people take the responsibility for taking the necessary steps and actions towards achieving true freedom. This is because there is a constant struggle between thinking and doing. Lots of people end up doing a lot of thinking and talking but doing nothing. On the other hand, you have those people that are in constant motion with activity and wonder why they are "stressed out!" Do we stop to consider if these activities are really worthwhile, productive and bring true happiness and satisfaction? How do we find the balance?

So is independence an illusion? No not really.

One participant named Marta felt that, "our personal histories begin our script. Even though we are influenced by genetics, the environment and culture, with age and experience, we can make conscious choices to progress and emerge one step at a time." When one learns to think and act consciously and responsibly in unison, then one has created the balance for emerging into productive freedom.

Participant, Antoinette, shared "that all the conditions (history, genetics, family, etc.) that are placed on us when we are young are not really who we are. From the time we are small, we are educated by a conforming and controlling society and are totally taken away from the true nature of our selves." We are taught values lie in material gain. We aren't taught to think artistically or creatively. We are taught to be left brained (logical, analytical, critical).

We forget that change is possible through working towards fulfilling goals, dreams, ambitions. Through activating the other 50% of our brain - the right hemisphere (creative, intuitive, nonverbal, spatial). Antoinette then described many major changes she has been working on towards her goal of freedom. This sparked another person named Park to speak on how, "It's a shame how uncivilized the world is by the way humans of the world belittle and create fear in each other." He then shared one of his poem:

Dead flowers in a rusty can
Rotting on an unmarked grave,
More eloquent than plastic blooms
Or marble words of praise.

Rest in peace? God for bid
That I shall share that fate,
Eternity's an afterthought,
Too little, and too late.

Another person, Daniel stated, "that we are all born with the potential to change if one so chooses to change." He then gave the example of Jesse Owens, the Olympic Gold Medal runner who had polio when he was a child and was told that he would never walk again. Another participant shared the example of Charles Atlas who was a 90 lb. weakling when he was a child and how he became the strongest man in the world. So the possibilities and potentials are there, but how many of us really work towards manifesting hidden talents and ambitions?

We were then asked if we could remember when or where we first sensed our true being? The only response received to this question was from Al who remembered as a child being in the forest and looking at the stars and realizing insignificance. Other participants were unable to reflect on and answer this question, so a discussion on passion ensued. Café goers concluded that passion is living. Passion is having genuine love and enthusiasm for the things that interest you. Passion is not "merely existing" in life by going through auto-mechanical movements everyday.

So how do we learn to make conscious choices towards new found freedom when we are constantly bombarded by the outer world? Again, as previously stated in Café, we must learn to "tune out" the outside noise and interference. How do we do this? How do we discover the aspects of our true being? And what is our true being?

We need to make the conscious choice from within that we really want to change and make a difference in our self. We need to remember and realize the significance of our being; that we are important, and at the same time realize our insignificance. Like the stone that is cast upon the water, "the ripples" of our actions contribute to the whole and affect many lives.

So in conclusion, did Café goers answer the questions Who is writing your script? Do you know the true being of yourself? No, not really, but group discussion was very lively. Lots of stories, jokes, poems and tales were shared by all. And what more? We shared where we were at the moment.......

The next Café-Philo. meeting will be held Sat, Jan 17, 1998 beginning at 7:00 p.m. at Bubb's. The next topic to be discussed is: The power of commitment. What does passion and dedication have to do with commitment? Invite your friends.

Reported by Alessandra