Zeus mysteriously materialized into my life a few years ago. He is a very complex, jokey and irreverent dog with a serious attitude. However, he is arguably the most evolved being I have ever met. His great delight is turning my world (and yours) upside down and inside out, with the soul’s purpose of revealing forgotten knowledge. For example:
Very few restaurants in Los Angeles cater to both men and dogs, even a dog that has incarnated from another dimension to help the inhabitants of Earth face the great challenges that lie ahead. However, a handful of excellent restaurants in West Hollywood are exceptions to the rule. They welcome us with open arms, whenever we sit at one of their outdoor tables. very European One day in particular, I was deep into my second cappuccino and the crossword puzzle in the morning paper when I began to notice the unintelligible muttering of Zeus.
“What the hell are you talking about?” I asked.
“Keep score,” was his enigmatic reply.
I put down the pen. After five years of living with this extraordinary canine, I knew when my next lesson was going to be served. “Keep score of what?” I obediently asked.
“That’s amazing,” Zeus mused. “I’ve been tracking it since I first got to California and it hardly ever changes, unless of course there’s a monumental event coming up, like the Oscars, the Super Bowl, or the final episode of a TV show.”
“Could you stop talking in circles and explain what this is all about?”
“Why do people bother talking to each other?” Zeus asked, which explained absolutely nothing.
“To pass information about things,” I replied.
“You wish!” he retorted her. “That happens a little more than 30 percent of the time. Most of what people say is meant to sound more interesting, intelligent, or important—the three lower ego selves.”
“What is your point?” I asked. “People talk about what’s on their mind at the time. So what?”
“So everything!” Zeus said. “Did you know that the size of a goldfish is determined by the dimensions of the tank it is in?”
“I think you’ve been smelling too many fire hydrants. Have you gone crazy?”
“It’s a natural high, kid. Stop being so dense and get on the ride. You might learn a thing or two. In a small bowl, a goldfish will only be a few inches long. Move it to a large aquarium and it’ll double or it will triple in size. Put the same goldfish in a large pond and it can grow up to a foot long! That’s true for humans too. Except your fish tanks are a matter of thoughts and words. Let me quote Eleanor Roosevelt, that evolved more than most of you realize: ‘Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.'”
“And have you been leaving conversations?”
“What else can I do when my leash is tied to a table leg? Frankly, 90 percent of what I listen to are D-grade sitcom reruns. Every once in a while there’s a little gem, like a nugget of gold in a pile of sand. The contents rarely interest me; I just keep a running total of the categories.”
“I guess that’s where 30 percent comes from.” I asked.
“Yes. In case you’re interested in statistics, more than two-thirds of conversations are pure gossip: the pronoun parade of I, you, he, she, we, they said or did. The next category, relative, gives account for about 25 percent. Most revolve around business, sports and entertainment, current events, or things people have or want to get. The last space in my studio is reserved for sharing ideas, exploration. The differences are like move from a small bowl to an aquarium to an ocean.
“This is what you never consider. When two people talk, they create an energy field of pure potential between them, like a perfectly tuned Steinway, ready to respond to the player’s preferences: chopsticks, take me to the ball game or a concert of Mozart Why waste the opportunity to explore all the possibilities of such a magnificent instrument Why live your life confined to one octave, hitting the same five black keys over and over and over again?
Stunned by Zeus’s last questions, I let my attention turn to the diners at the other tables. He was absolutely right. Most were engaged in animated conversation devoted to the parade of pronouns. “But what’s wrong with talking about people? Surely it doesn’t have to be gossip.”
“In theory, no,” joked Zeus. “But the survey suggests otherwise. The topic isn’t that important; what really counts is the purpose of the conversation. If it’s just a social chat, you’re missing out on a wonderful opportunity. Like using two fingers to play Chopsticks instead of engaging both hands to accomplish something more meaningful. While gossip seems harmless, it is not. Gossip is as superficial as it gets, and it comes at a high price.”
“Why do you say that?”
“A one-inch fish thinks it’s a giant if all it knows is a six-inch fishbowl.”
“You mean a big fish in a small pond?”
“You know a lot of people like that, especially in this city,” Zeus said, full of self-importance and a need for recognition. It’s always fun to hear people seem so positive about what they think they know. They are reluctant to move to a larger container because it might threaten the validity of their beliefs.
To overcome this delusion, boy, you’re going to have to risk letting go from time to time. And every conversation offers the perfect opportunity, even the ones about people and events. Instead of listening to the words, be intensely curious about what is underneath them.
Try this next time you’re engaged in a conversation: Check out the five W’s of journalism: who, what, when, where, and why. Gossip quickly fills out the first four, but the ‘why’ takes any discussion to a deeper level. Curiosity always asks why. Why is he saying that? Why is he reacting that way? Look for the underlying intent of everyone involved in the conversation, especially your own. Once you’ve done that, turn it up a bit. Go beyond the meaning of what is being said and observe the patterns of energy flow between the participants. If you can avoid judgment, you will soon see the archetypes, the universal constructs, that humans use to overcome their self-imposed fears.
Words are like energetic viruses that rummage through your mind looking for receptor sites. They easily link to preconceived ideas and beliefs, and when they do, you begin to evaluate instead of listen. When you find yourself formulating a response long before the other person has finished speaking, know that you’ve been hooked.
It doesn’t take long to master the art of listening to goldfish conversations from the perspective of aquariums and oceans. And in the process, your little fish are given an extraordinary opportunity to grow.
