The Three Stages of truth...

"All truth passes through 3 stages:

First it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as self-evident."

Arthur Schopenhauer

Peter’s Distraction, What is it?

I have talked about experimenting and playing with different ideas, ‘Peter’s Distraction’ is a good example of this.

Once I was working with a group in Hyde Park where we played the game ‘Fox the Fox’ during the game one of the group called Peter was in the middle blindfolded and trying to catch the fox without success, it was clear he was having problems getting into a heart space, when without warning one of his peers decided to throw a small stick at him for a laugh, this prompted the rest of the group to do the same.

Normally I would have stopped this happening for fear of someone getting hurt, but I quickly realised that I could use this as a tool for an intervention, so I allowed it continue.

The result was that Peter found the Fox straight away. Why?

Peter shared with us what he had experienced, Peter realised that his peers were trying to put him off from achieving the goal of finding the fox, and that he was having trouble getting into his heart, because of all the distractions in Hyde Park, and as a result of his peers actions he decided that he would not allow them to put him off his goal, so he switched off to them and immediately he went into his heart and sensed where the fox was.

Now when I play this game, instead of having the group throw sticks (which was done on impulse) I now ask people to each make different sounds as part of a distraction, however the trick is to get them to do it without the person in the middle knowing.