Words can start wars, and words can just as easily end them. Words sell the world’s most expensive products, and words cause the best products to fail.
Words create celebrities out of thin air, and words can kill them off again.
Words are the most powerful weapon on the planet.
And yet most people in life and business refuse to accept their power, instead, they look for the cheapest option to have someone write them.
And when they’re not doing that, they flounder around with zero thought on what they’re about to say.
They blurt out the most ludicrous ideas often based on whims, myths, rumour, superstition, downright lies and fake news.
And by the way, that’s just about everyone on the planet including you and me.
That’s why Werner Erhard called us all assholes in the 1970’s. He’s right – and even more so today. We see it everywhere – and not just from ordinary people, but from our politicians, celebrities and leaders.
In 1976, author Luke Rhinehart wrote “The Book of EST”, and I rate it as the world’s most dangerous book.
I have a large library and have read more books on business, psychology, philosophy, self-help and anything else loosely connected to any of those topics than I’d care to mention.
And yet, I have reread The Book of EST more times than any other title. To date it’s 7 times. And I’m not talking about skim reading either. I mean I’ve read it in-depth. Every page. Slowly.
And on each read I learn a little more from it.
I’ve bought multiple copies and given them away to my coaching clients.
This book changes lives. It can be a very tough read for some (in fact, for most), so I take a great deal of care when recommending it.
If you are not open-minded, or you value superstition above objectivity, you’re not ready for this book.
If you believe your life or destiny is controlled by someone or something else, this book is absolutely 100% NOT for you.
On the other hand, if you have spent your entire life questioning everything and looking for answers, but have never found what you’re looking for, then this is it.
The ‘EST’ part of the title stands for Erhard Seminar Training, and it was the most oversubscribed self-help training on the planet in the 1970’s.
It had pop stars and other celebrities raving about it at the time, and I only wish it was still available today (the franchise was sold off to another company in the late 1970’s and is still being run today, but not in the same way it was originally run, so I cannot comment on that aspect – however, to read the book is to get a tiny glimpse into what went on back then in the original training).
The book describes what happens during a complete set of training sessions through the eyes of a trainee.
The author makes it very clear that you will not “get it” by reading the book alone, and that you must attend the live training itself to have any chance – but of course, that’s no longer available, so the book is all we have left (another book was also written on EST titled “EST Playing the Game the New Way” by Carl Frederick – also published in 1976, and which I also love, but it does not have the same magic as Luke’s seminal work).
Get hold of a copy if you can, and re-read it often.