In my work as a Yoga teacher and therapist it is an inevitable part of the trade to be encountered by people searching for answers. If I accept the role as ”someone who got answers” I create dependency rather than autonomy. That isn’t very liberating. I try my best to avoid that, but now and then it still happens that something which sound like a word of advice slip my tongue. If so and if I notice that the person whom is listening start to suck that up, like a sponge, then I might add:
Don’t try to remember a single word of what I just said.
That’s my idea of the final advice, the advice to kill all advices. But maybe better still would have been to never have said anything at all. That could have broken the Game of Parrots once and for all.
Unfortunately, there is not “a way” to break the Game. If there was then we probably wouldn’t be here. I wouldn’t write this and you wouldn’t read it. For all I know we might just be Parrots you and me. Since they are everywhere, then why not also here?
That’s why I have tried, for some time, to figure out how to spot them. From what I have noticed so far these are some of their characteristics:
- A Parrot does not really listen to what was said, but only parrots back earlier impressions. It can be something it have heard in this immediate moment or something it have heard before. I call this ”the Parroting”.
- Parroting is not limited to only what the Parrot have heard. It seems that Parroting can happen in all sense-spheres: Hearing, seeing, feeling, smelling and tasting.
- Parroting is not limited to a social context. That means it can be the Parroting of anything at anytime, even the Parroting of thoughts only.
- The Parrot is rarely aware of the Parroting but sincerely believes that it is both unique and personal.
- When communicating with a Parrot the chances are bigger that you will become a Parrot yourself.
The Game
No Parrot is never really willing to let go of his or her Parroting. Deep down all Parrots know this and they also know that the other Parrots know this. That’s why one could say that there is a kind of respect of the Parroting of other Parrots.
As long as this respect is withheld then all Parrots can reinforce what they have heard, read or seen without making too many deviations from that. This is what is called ”The Game of Parrots”.
The rules have already been explained by saying what has been said, but this can be added: In the Game — be a Parrot — at all costs, even in the face of termination. This is done by repeating what has been heard, read or seen without making too many unique deviations from that. This is done by repeating what has been heard, read or seen without making too many unique deviations from that. This is done by…
How to break the Game
Like I said before: there is not ”a way” to break the Game. But, on the other hand, there are some sure ways to have a more smooth game so that it can be played for a long time without too many uncomfortable interruptions. These seem to be some of those ways:
- A Parrot should prioritize the company of Parrots of the same color.
- A Parrot should continuously continue with the Parroting and avoid any kind of non-activity that might lead to silence or void.
- A Parrot should very much avoid anything that would tell it that the Game of Parrots is absolutely meaningless.
Now if you have read this and you feel that you don’t want to play the Game of Parrots, but instead you want to break it. Then don’t try to remember a single word of what I just said.
Good luck.