“Gestalt Prayer” Fixes Everything

Stop searching now, Buddha-killers. I have the answer. I stumbled upon it while reading For Her Own Good: Two Centuries of Experts’ Advice to Women by Barbara Ehrenreich and Deirdre English. I was only looking for a few laughs and some fun anecdotes to share with my daughter, who loves hearing about the olden times. In the midst of a discussion of the Human Potential Movement and other pop movements of the 1970s, and the new “looking out for numero uno” attitude espoused therein, I discovered it. The Gestalt Prayer. I am not exaggerating when I say that everything suddenly made sense. Do your thing, and I’ll do mine, dear friends. Perhaps we’ll find each other! If not, take it easy.

I do my thing and you do your thing.
I am not in this world to live up to
your expectations
And you are not in this world to live
up to mine.
You are you, and I am I, and if by chance
we find each other, it’s beautiful
If not, it can’t be helped.

Fritz Perls, 1969