How does one persuade another to get up out of the wheelchair, after all the kings doctors and all the kings men told that one, his days were numbered and he won’t be back this way again? I had this very experience the same summer I met Mr. Troy. (See post 2-13-2012) Healing is one of the creative arts of persuasion.
The director of “Hamlet” that summer was the venerable theatre artist, Allan Fletcher. It was a repertory company and I was part of the “cast of thousands.” I first saw Allan being wheeled into first cast call He was riding aboard a wheelchair chariot with his aptly named stage manager Ms. Rapier driving, followed by a colorful entourage. This man who would become a friend and mentor was slumped over to one side, a lap blanket and his ever present fleece collared jeans jacket for cover. From this frail stick of a man came the thunderous voice of the old master. The vitality of his resonance was betrayed by the brittle form. He spun the story he would have us collectively tell of a noble prince undone. He himself was to play the ghost of Hamlet’s father.
At one point during the first few days, I had the chance to meet him face to face. When I took his hand in greeting, it was freezing cold. I instinctively took his other hand and warmed both for a moment. I did not know enough to keep my mouth shut and said, ”I can help you.” Stage manager Rapier’s razor sharp glare guided me back to the chorus; but Allan remembered my four words and after several days, asked what I meant.
In those days, the lexicon of my knowing was limited. I didn’t have words to share. I had deeds. So I showed him. I had collected a wide variety of deeds I came to call tools. “Touch for Health” was one of those systems of tools. The study of rhetoric makes it clear, the art of persuasion extends far beyond words alone. Aristotle insisted that the most effective means of persuasion is the application of all the available means of persuasion. Words represent experience, they are not the experience itself. (See post 12-16-2011) He needed help with what to do, not what to say.
We met three times a week at first, up to two hours per session. Shorter visits and then fewer visits. By the end of the summer, the breath of life had returned to his limbs. He had gone from a wheelchair to a bicycle and long walks in the course of a couple months.
The last time I saw Allan was several years later at PCPA Theatrefest in Solvang, CA. We were to see “MacBeth.” Again in the title role, Danny Davis and directed by Allan. Dear Allan met me at the front of the theatre with a heart felt hug. He was still up and walking; however, he was falling ill again and he knew it. I could see it in his face and it was also in his voice. I could see he wanted to allow health and wellbeing to fill him once again. It seemed he had forgotten the pathways to wellness we had traveled years earlier. His rare blood disease had him on the ropes again.
It was a cold night and the coastal fog was hovering over the open air theatre. Just as MacBeth is screaming at God for his fate, a blue/white flash filled the night sky, flashing from behind the audience. Then sounds of an explosion in the same breath as a scream. Black and silence followed, but for a faint glow in the fog overhead.
Later the power and lights returned and the show went on to its conclusion. The Scottish lord is undone yet again.
As you perceive it, so it is, to you.
An electrical worker passed over to the other side that night atop an electrical pole, just a block away from the theatre. Due to the excitement of the evening, I was not able to connect with Allan after the show. As it turns out, I never again saw my friend after that night. Allan deeply honored me that summer, by allowing me to persuade him to choose life and wellness. The gifts I received from our time together are treasured. He will live on in my memory as long as I have one.
Our 50 bits/sec of conscious flow can so easily be overwhelmed by our perceptions. The greatest tool in any healing tradition is the creative art of persuasion.
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