(But do we create - are we responsible for everything in our existence?)
Well, I don't know what all you put out as your existence. There is windstorms and rainstorms and hail storms and hurricanes come along and some people suggest, I suppose, can you bring in a hurricane? I don't know, ask yourself, don’t' ask me.
(Okay, the things that happen to us - maybe accidents or you know the good things and the accidents and the whole...)
I said, that's in the "I don't know" department. I only look at what can I do about it. I'm not interested in attempting to answer “why” questions. Finding that anytime you answer a "why” question, the next answer is "why that?" and I don't wanna get caught in that score of answering why everything happened.
I am very interested in seeing “what I can do about the present situation” but I'm not interested in philosophizing, describing, explaining as to why that happened. Now I don't know why you were born a girl and Charles was born a man. Now I can deal with the fact that you're that way, but I don't know why, okay?
And as far as I'm concerned, you're asking me a why question. Can you answer why did this happen and that happened; and this person had a flat tire, this one didn't and this one had an accident and this one didn't have? I can't answer that question; and I don't want to get caught in any why questions. So to me you're asking me a why question and I've turned 'em down ever since you've known me - I don't care what it was about, is that right? Not because you brought it up that you went to an EST class. It's because you were attempting to ask me a why question; and I won't try to answer 'em because I don't know.
I don't know why anything happens, but I can usually see what to do about it after it gets here. That's the only thing that I know. Yes, Pearl?
(I interpreted that X is the experience…)
Right, so you tell Debbie the answer to it, okay?
(Can I ask a question?)
Sure.
(Are we responsible for our experience?)
Yeah, we generally choose how we're gonna see things, yes - we're generally gonna choose how we see things. One person sees a given situation as very bad. Another one involved in the same thing sees it fine.
We are responsible for how we see things - how we choose to see things. We've talked about that at qreat length sometime through the week. We can choose how we're gonna see things which is another way of seeing “what can I do about it" when it is here.
I have had the question that Debbie asked, throwed at me several different times on that like “did you bring about the ingrown toenail.” “Did you bring about the accident on the street?” “Did you bring about the flood that washed away your buildings?” and so forth. I don't know, so I'm not trying to answer a why question. That's the only thing, I don't know why these things happen. We see what we can do. If the buildings washed away, I can start rebuilding it or move to higher ground.
(My interpretation about that is that I am responsible for my experience.)
I would say that - I would 100% agree with. I am responsible for how I see it; but not for all the things that might and might not have happened, okay?
From Newport Workshop 1980 cd 19..
(Please note that audience comments and questions are in parentheses. The ideas mentioned here like the insignificance of asking Why questions, I- don't-know department, taking charge, being responsible etc will be brought up from time to time including more excerpts from this exceptionally rich workshop. The entire workshop has been transcribed also.)
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