In the Work external considering is more necessary than in life. It does not make “self-emotions”, but “others-emotions.” The second line of the Work, Work in conjunction with others, brings in the necessity of external considering, of putting ourselves into another person’s place, of realizing other people’s difficulties. In the practice of external considering it is necessary to realize that other people are mirrors of ourselves. If you have taken an album of good photographs of yourself through long self-observation, then you will not have to look far in it to find in yourself what you object to so much in the other person and then you will be able to put yourself in the other person’s position, to realize that he has also this thing that you have noticed in yourself, that he has his inner difficulties, just as much as you have, and so on.
External considering can be practiced when you are alone. I will give you one example: go over carefully what you said to someone and put yourself in their place by visualizing them saying the same things to you and using the same intonation. External considering is as vast and as varied in its range as is internal considering. There cannot be right development of the Emotional Center without the practice of external considering: valuation of this Work, and the practice of external considering develop Emotional Center. The more you value this Work the less can false personality govern you, the less vanity can have you, and the more you externally consider the less important will you think yourself.
Maurice Nicoll, “Internal Considering and External Considering” in Psychological Commentaries on the Teaching of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky (Vol. 1, p. 259).
Working Note: For Today’s Inner Effort
Orientation: Practice external considering instead of self-importance.
What to Notice:
Speaking without regard for the other person.
Replaying what you said with self-justification.
Not sensing the other person’s position.
Feeling yourself more important.
A moment of seeing how it may have sounded to them.
Work Effort for Today:
After speaking, review it.
Imagine the other saying the same words to you.
Notice the effect.
Do not defend yourself inwardly.
Remember: Put yourself in the other person’s place and feel it.
