TRIBUTE TO EST
Est made history and the following is a history of est. It is a tribute to transformation and Werner Erhard. Follow the lineage of people, places and things that enlightened a generation and made an impact on the world.
History of the est Training
1971
- In June Werner Erhard had a realization about the nature of being…
- And in October that realization manifested into the est Training. Werner Erhard first led the est Training in San Francisco at the Jack Tar Hotel and the world of possibility was born.
- Laurel Sheaf named as president and CEO of est
- First est office, 2nd floor on Kearney Street in San Francisco
- Original est staff members included Werner Erhard, Gonneke Spits, Laurel Scheaf, Jack Rafferty and Elaine Cronin
- While only about 600 people participated in est Training by the end of 1971, it was the beginning of a movement. The beginning of people getting that what is, is and what isn’t, isn’t and you are responsible for your life. People took on making a difference in their lives, their community and the world. Read More
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| Werner Erhard | Original est Staffers Werner Erhard and Gonneke Spits in 2008 |
This Is It - An Interview With Werner Erhard
New Sun Magazine, December 1978
The truth is not found in a different set of circumstances. The truth is always and only found in the circumstances you’ve got.
New Sun: I’d like to know what you feel is the single most important thing a human being can learn in life?
Werner Erhard: The problem with the answer to that question is that it depends on where the person is. I think that until you know that life does not work you’re unprepared to know anything else. And yet that’s not the most important thing to know. But it might be the first thing to know. Full Article
est - The New Life-Changing Philosophy that Makes You the Boss
By Marcia Seligson, Published in Cosmopolitan Magazine, June 1975
About three years ago I was at a dinner party in Beverly Hills, a small covey of movie-biz folk. In the vacuum between the gazpacho and the paella, the man to my left suddenly bellowed to the room at large: “Hey, I did this incredible thing last month that’s changed my whole life. It’s called E.S.T.” All heads swiveled in his direction, everybody on the make for something to change our lives. Anything. The faster the better. Full Article
What is est
est publication , May 16, 1977
The est training is sometimes confused with other disciplines, yet it is none of them. est is not group therapy, sensitivity training, encounter, positive thinking, meditation, hypnosis, mind control, behavior modification, religion, or anything else you might think of. It is not therapy; it is not “human potential;” not psychology. And, finally est is not a movement – there is nothing to belong to; there is nothing to join; there is nothing to remember and nothing to believe in; there isn’t even anything to do after you’ve finished the training.
est does not change what one knows; it transforms the way in which one knows. Full Article
The Indescribable Experience
Eleanor Links Hoover, October 1978
One reason why the public seldom sees much deep, penetrating reporting and/or commentary about any contemporary psychological movement is that it is distinctly unfashionable for journalists to write anything that may be interpreted as favorable about such phenomena. Never mind whether it’s true or not. The silent rule is, “If you can’t be critical, don’t write it.”
Well, this is to serve notice to any potential head-lopper that I choose not to be intimidated. Sorry. I just can’t join the cynical press bandwagon. est is – and remains – one of the most fascinating movements, events, phenomena (take your pick, it still defies analysis) I have ever observed and reported on. The fact that it isn’t what it seems to be (what is?) and that it is as elusive as quicksilver to describe only enhances the fascination as far as I’m concerned. For me, it is, among other things, an excursion into High Philosophy – a miniseries of sorts into issues raised by Plato, Sartre, Wittgenstein. Bill Bartley, philosophy professor at California State University at Hayward once told me, “What est is doing is making available for the first time on a wide, popular basis, the key ideas and problems of philosophy.” Full Article
Operating Principles for a You and Me World
From the March 1980 Graduate Review report on ‘A World That Works For Everyone’
Since we have been raised and educated in a you or me world, and since very few of us have noticed the shift to you and me, we are going to have to work out the rules for living on our own. We won’t get much help. Werner shared his own perceptions of some of the other new rules, or operating principles, for the you and me context.
- Respect the other person’s point of view, whether or not you agree with it. Recognize that if you had their history, their circumstances, and the forces that play on them, you would likely have their point of view.
- Consider life a privilege – all of it, even the parts that are difficult or seem a waste of time.
- Give up the islands that reinforce mediocrity, the safe places where we gossip and complain to one another, where we are petty.
- Take a chance. Be willing to put your reputation on the line; have something at stake.
- Work for satisfaction rather than for credit
- Honor your word. There will be times when the circumstances of life will make you forget who you are and what you’re about. That is when you need to be committed to honoring your word, making what you say count.
Questions and Answers about The est Training
Q: What was the est training?
A: The est Training was a 60-hour educational experience that created opportunities for people to realize their potential, to transform the quality of their lives. It was about an expansion of that area of life called aliveness. The purpose of the est Training was to transform your experience of living and it operated under the principle that there was only one thing powerful enough to transform the quality of your life in just four days and that was you.
The est Training was created by Werner Erhard in 1971. The Training was offered throughout the United States, as well as in Canada, England, Israel, Australia and India and it was retired in 1984.
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