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Bombay, India July 10th, 2002 Letter to Tony DeCarvalho, from Damian Hospital
Dear tony, "Hi, and welcome to the official web-site of the National Enneagram Council, lead by Riso and Hudson. Through this web-site, our books, our week-long classes and certifications, we will make sure that you fully understand your personality type so you CAN BE STUCK IN IT FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE while we CASH IN on our ideas. Hell, we have families to support and mouths to feed, too." Okay, tony, I guess I am in rant mode now. (Lack of sex does that to a man. In fact, as George Costanza from Seinfeld noted, the less sex you have, the more "smart" and philosophical you become.) Anyway -- their web-site is very useful, as are the books and classes. After all, the two of us dreamt about the day the general public learns about the Enneagram. But after reading through the message boards -- hold on, I'm thirsty, I'll be right back-okay I'm back -- after reading through the message boards, taking the free test (for 10 dollars, you can take the "statistically valid exam" (Visa and Mastercard accepted) ),and reading the Frequently Asked Questions, etc. I realized that these people DON'T GET IT. Oh, of course they know all of the types, levels, wings, triad, sexual drives, etc., etc., etc., inside and out! And it is great that all of the info is out there, and people are discussing it. I really have the feeling that these people take the wisdom of the enneagram back to their offices and homes. But they don't get IT. The true secret of the enneagram -- the path to enlightenment and FREEDOM FROM THIS PAINFUL AND IRRATIONAL WORLD AND SOCIETY WE LIVE IN -- "THE MATRIX" -- is to NOT BE A FREAKING NUMBER. Remember when we went to the Buddhist temple? And one of the prayers had the lines -- "There is no death. There is no life. There is no suffering. There is no Buddha, etc. (I forget the exact prayer.) The secret of the enneagram is that "THERE IS NO ENNEAGRAM". But one can only learn this secret after experiencing and having knowledge of the enneagram. In fact, knowing about and practicing the enneagram is one of the most powerful and enlightening tools a man can have. The enneagram is the one "system" that actually works and can be applied in life. It transcends time and space. It is the matrix, the fabric of the reality of the senses. It is "true". It doesn't let us down. It doesn't contradict itself. It stays consistent through different places, times, and people. It is alive. That being said,it is WRONG for Riso and Hudson to teach people how to stay within their types and grow within their levels. Heck, they don't even promote integrating all around the enneagram. At least that's what I gathered from some of the things I browsed. And just for the record, I took their personality test. I answered all of the questions honestly -- the results were to my liking -- there was no significant personality type. Although I am in India right now, if you could put this e-mail up on the site, that would be great. You see, I'm hoping that someone who is into the enneagram runs a search one day and wanders to our site. And he could read this, and know the truth. For those of you who are just learning about the enneagram, the site is very thorough and useful. Just be aware of the true nature of the enneagram. Thanks, DH- "I am not a number, I am a free man!" -The Prisoner
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