What Can I Learn About Myself From You?

[Guest guest]

Glen wrote: "...........It is our egos that provide the framework that builds our belief in uniqueness and individuality. It is all illusion.........."A very insightful post.  Many thanks Glen, Dhyana and other contributors.  On reflection, I found that some of my own ego or self-image come from gathering trophies of my "best" work AND of the face-slappings from my most regrettable mistakes and reconciling these two mixes to get a net intuitive adjudication of my character. But then I wondered if the attaching values are a mere reflection of community kudos? Competitive high points and disastrous crashes in my life with, at the end of the day, my shallow self-concept of "respectability" amounting merely to avoidance of some textbook mistakes that were bypassed through good luck rather than clear sighted intention? A non-spiritual lifestyle can breed those black and white self-judgements in high volume, fanned by tabloid media role-modelling of who is "good" and "bad" .Those community proxies of merit are imho dangerous Their tunnel vision judgements can be a serious detour and ,at worst, a dead-end in our recapitulation preparations for Kundalini infusion.Examples of simplistic self-congratulation:- The backslaps and hand shakes we receive that seamlessly become egotistical high-points when we are gifted with a prize-winning exam score or job interview outcome that has deprived the harder working, perhaps less talented, fellow applicants of "success". - The praise for voluntary work that matures into self awarded accolades when (if the truth be known) our sacrifices were short-term, easily affordable, gestures - DEVOID of long term strategies - that could, if more thoughtfully prescribed, have pushed "victims" out of a circle of stagnation.  - The warm glow we get when we overcome the greatest fears of our lives but have fallen short of instructing others, instead simply notching up a tick of self-endorsement.- The reflected pride in our youngsters' performances that undeservedly niche us into a community meritocracy.Each ego-enhancing "achievement" is a sting to our fellow travellers. Our win, commonly someone-else's loss. A bitter-sweet duality. Much driven by ambition to dominate rather than a hunger to see substance develop from our creative juices. Innately we see a stamp of approval, but the unseen and unspoken underbelly of community response is more likely to be painful feelings of inadequacy and self-reproach. Contrast these manoeuvrings with (implicated in the Safeties): - Good works performed anonymously, the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing.- Cultivating a mindset of unconditional empathy and love, constrained only by issues of personal safety and integrity but occasionally risking criticism and derision by making head-activated (as opposed to heart-felt) comments that carry transforming truth and wisdom for relief of long term suffering. The refusal to be a conspirator and martyr will prompt higher, more competent forces to enter to give a better outcome in the crisis of a beloved.  The non-ego driven big picture.None of this is a plea for mediocrity, self-deprecation or apathy in community life. No, my view is that we should climb every mountain. But I write it mainly as a reminder to myself to cease interpersonal comparisons - so that I can more easily approach that elusive desert island ego !!  Love - John.

[Guest guest]

Hi John, perspective is everything. Sometimes too much thinking about how

we feel, or what we think is a little like dissecting a kitten because you

want to find the source of the purr. You will never hear the purr again.

 

It's the surrender thing, experience is the key, not what you think about it.

Language trips us up, because it's all we have to use it to explain or

rationalize where we think we are.

 

There is no right or wrong here, when you relate an experience, that is

not a call from the ego. It is relating an experience.

 

Fall into the experience, let it wash over you, don't " think " about it,

and you will find the experiences come harder and faster and just for you.

Agreement or disagreement is a function of language. Let it go, release

it.

Don't build dichotomies, break them.

 

Peace

 

Don

[Guest guest]

Hi Don, nice to read you. It's only in surrender, that I see the dichotomies in the first place - the mind-blowing difference in distance between I and i. In dissecting experience, I've found that the purring of the kitten has been replaced by the roar of a very confronting lion !! Cheers - John.

============================

Don wrote:

"Hi John, --------- sometimes too much thinking about how we feel, or what we think is a little like dissecting a kitten because you want to find the source of the purr. You will never hear the purr again. It's the surrender thing, experience is the key, not what you think about it ------ Fall into the experience, let it wash over you, don't "think" about it, ---- Let it go, release it. Don't build dichotomies, break them. Peace - Don"