T.A.I. NEWSNOTES

February 2000
Vol. 6 No.2

EDITORIAL

I'm OK, You're OK

I got an e-mail the other day asking me about the origins of not-Okayness, and whether there had been any research done in this area.

This set me thinking. The original book, I'm OK, You're OK was written in 1967 by Tom Harris, a doctor. It has been in print ever since, and in 1985 he wrote a sequel 'Staying OK' with his wife Amy.
Whether the phrase originated with Tom Harris or not, I am not sure. However the meaning of 'Okayness' has been debated in TA circles since those early days right down to the present time, when members of the TA-list on the internet still have different points of view on the whole topic.

My concept of the meaning of Okayness is that Okayness is part of the human condition - if you are a human being, you are OK - or as some folk say: God don't make junk.

This means that the quality of Okayness is always potentially there for every individual, and that access to that Okayness both in myself and in the other is always potentially there in each transaction that I make.

The challenge is to remember this, and under stress, I know I myself often forget. Under stress I get into some form of blaming, and this is the thinking that creates the three types of 'not-OKayness' that upset the apple-cart. I either blame myself, the other, or both of us and the whole world in general for what to me is an unsatisfactory situation (my stress and my distress).

These are the discounts that TA writers often see as the entry into Script behaviour.
It sounds so simple - keep my eyes open to all that is there, especially to my own essential Okayness and the essential Okayness of you, the other. Yet in effect, it is the work of a lifetime. So I had better begin now.

This Month's AFFIRMATION
You can explore who you are and find out who other people are. ((c) Jean Illsley Clarke)

TAI North
Contact Pat for future dates and time. (080-1-232 854-695).

TAI East -

January meetings (no meeting in December): We started the second video, and did the sections on Discounts and Games. We had two new people there. That was nice because flu and family commitments kept several regulars away. Thanks again to Aine for her hospitality.

The Christmas Social has been transformed into a Spring Social and will take place on Saturday February 12.
Until a new venue is found, contact 4511125 for details of where TAI East will meet each month.