Letter from Damian to Vahl about the Enneagram, circa 2002
Here's a reprint of some classic DailySkew stuff, from back in the day. The second-to-last paragraph inspired me to put this up on the web again:
www.enneagraminstitute.com
Bombay, India
July 10th, 2002
Letter to Tony Vahl, 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 certifi-
cations, 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 read-
ing 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 dis-
cussing it. I really have the feeling that these people take the wisdom of the ennea-
gram back to their offices and homes. But they don't get IT. The true secret of the en-
neagram -- the path to enlightenment and FREEDOM FROM THIS PAINFUL AND IR-
RATIONAL 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 enlight-
ening 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 hon-
estly -- 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
