Exiles: Dazzlingly Literal
Sharky and p pi discuss using berries as parts, and the sometimes phenomenally literal nature of exiles reveals itself in all its glory
Manager and exile attempt to discuss class in a better way than last time, and fail completely
p pi (Exile): Green, let’s have a nice, soft start up as John Gottman advises.
Green (Manager): I’d like that p pi.
p pi: So Green, I’m aware you’re upset about the new classes I want to try! Oh no, I’m getting over excited already.
Green: Well for fuck’s sake p pi, you can be excited, just don’t proselytize me about it. Give me some space.
p pi: We’re kind of bunched up in here, Green!
Green: I have confidence you can give me space and still be excited.
p pi: (slightly dejected) I don’t know. (sigh). I’m so excited. I wish you could be excited, but you’re raining all over my p pi parade.
Green: Well, this sure went south in a hurry!
Firefighter and exile have a more generative conversation
Sharky (Firefighter): (laughing) Oh my god you guys are a riot!
p pi (Exile): Sharky…pfffffft. I’m so excited though!! Classes are Christmas! They’re so fun. We’ll have fun! We love teaching IFS. I love teaching IFS. I love finger puppets, mind maps, conference tables, parts art, the room technique, voice memos, videos, I love all the techniques! SO FUN!
We’ll have our Four Techniques classes on Tuesdays at 11 am Central time on June 18, July 2 and July 16, and then we’ll have our Advanced Four Techniques classes on July 30, August 13, August 27 and September 10 too! People will get all the good techniques! And then I’m going to create a NEW Four Techniques class called “Four IFS Voice Techniques” class for September!! I got so many ideas!
Sharky: Well, I was skeptical, but I have to agree that the Four Techniques class is awesome p pi. You exiles really knocked it out of the park with that class. Teaching just one technique a class makes it super simple, and having a demo in each class and time to practice it is perfect. I enjoy the classes myself.
p pi: I’m the best!
Politics of morning classes
Sharky (leader of the firefighter): You’re pretty great, p pi.
p pi (leader of the exiles) Well, what do YOU think of the new class idea?
Sharky: (shrugging) It went great during the IFS Unconference. Some people literally came to all four of the finger puppets workshops, so clearly they liked it. And realistically we can’t teach very many people the Four Techniques, and the Advanced Four Techniques, and all the other techniques you want to teach if we only have tiny little six-person classes. Not everyone can come to those classes.
If we do it online people for a large group, more people can learn the techniques, and if we record the teaching parts of the class (not the sharing parts) we can offer it later to people who can’t come to the live class, like people in Australia.
p pi: Yeah Australia people ask for classes but Chicago and Australia are not compatible time zones!
Sharky: Don’t look at me, I’m not getting up at 4 am to teach a 4 pm Australia class.
p pi: I would, but I don’t have the votes.
Sharky: You don’t have them and you won’t get them.
Jessica (leader of the managers): I vote NO on teaching a class at 4 am.
p pi: Well so much for what you said, Sharky, that Jessica votes with me lately!
Sharky: Ha ha, that’s a ridiculous test case. I stand by my assessment. Since Green resigned and Jessica’s the leader of the managers we have a lot more unanimous votes.
p pi: Not when it comes to me getting what I want in the morning.
Sharky: p pi, let’s not go there.
p pi: Okay let’s not.
Why the firefighters liked the large classes: they’re fun
p pi: I have another idea. Math & Science IFS Techniques. Ways we use math and science to do IFS work.
Sharky: I like it. We quantify things and put things on spectrums and use ‘where are we on the bell curve’ to do our work. I think that would be a fun class too.
p pi: Okay but, you don’t have an issue with my new idea of having larger classes?
Sharky: No, I was skeptical of these classes and opposed to them last summer, but now I’m a fan. I say, the more the merrier, I want to try more actually.
p pi: What changed YOUR mind, Sharky? Maybe I can get some insight into Green.
Sharky: Well I’m lazy and I thought they’d be too much work, but they’re actually a lot of fun. I like to see the demos, it’s fun to watch other people use the techniques, and it reminds us that we have lots of techniques in our IFS toolkit and then we get to do more fun IFS ourselves. We made some cool videos to go along with the classes for when we send out the extra video that goes along with the class. So…it’s creative and fun.
Exactly why it is unwise to choose anything edible to represent an exile
Sharky (Firefighter): I’m kinda curious about EXACTLY why I liked the large-group format for the IFS + Finger Puppets workshop at the Unconference though. It’s puzzling.
p pi (Exile): Why?
Sharky: Our very small six-person class is soul-nourishing because it’s so intimate and safe. And the large group can’t be safe the way a small group is. YET those finger puppets workshops at the Unconference felt safe — the demos were all very vulnerable and everyone did meaningful and moving work — and something was available because of the energy of the large group. I can’t describe what it was, but there was just an energy I enjoyed from all the people. It was fun to see all the different objects / puppets / stuffed animals people used to externalize their parts. Even berries! Ha ha ha.
p pi: Nobody better eat their parts though.
Sharky: Well, choosing berries for exiles is probably not ideal, considering how literal exiles are.
p pi: I’m just saying. I’m a shrimp, you better not eat shrimp.
Sharky: Which is why in the finger puppets class we teach people not to choose edible animals for exiles, because you may find yourself in this exact situation.
p pi: And that is wise advice!
Sharky: Amazing. No awareness of any alternative interpretation of the situation, just pure endorsement of avoiding edible animals as representations of exiles.
p pi: Yup.
Sharky: We’ll leave it at that. Anyone reading this has now seen for yourself, why it is not wise to choose edible animals for exiles.
p pi: If you want people to eat shark meat you go ahead but I’m a shrimp therefore no one is eating shrimp!!
Sharky: I could care less if people eat shark meat because I’m a finger puppet shark, but you exist in a zone of consciousness that may be somewhat different than mine.
p pi: You live in the ocean on Earth. I live on a flying red fish on The Bowl of Heaven by Gregory Benford. Obviously we live in different galaxies, Sharky.
Sharky: Again, your angle of approach here is a lot more literal than mine, p pi.
p pi: You have your angle of approach, I’ll have mine!
Sharky: On a meta level, are you aware of just how incredibly literal you have shown yourself to be here?
p pi: I’m six, and I’m six forever! I don’t care. I hear what you’re saying but I DO NOT CARE. No eating shrimp. I’m a shrimp! Therefore, no. That’s that Sharky.
Sharky: And that my friends is the final word. You heard it from the leader of the exiles. Do not pick a puppet to represent an exile if you enjoy eating that animal. Your days of eating it may come to an end.
p pi: Nobody needs to eat shrimp!!!
Sharky: I have nothing more to add here.