LESS EGO / MORE SOUL

I say, personify and de-personify everything. For it is these boundaries of alienation that lead us to suffering as they limit us from accepting things as they are and fully understanding the interconnectedness that surrounds us.

For example: Forgiveness is a tool of the ego, allowing us to pacify our own self-entitlement. While societal conditioning might have us believe that it is an act of grace that we bestow upon others so generously, the truth is, our ability to forgive does not make us a “better” person. It makes us a more “functional” person as it cradles our wounded ego in the face of “offensive behaviour”.

If you kick your toe into a wall, do you feel the need to forgive the wall for the pain it has caused you?

If a wild animal eats some food you’ve left out in the open, do you feel the need to forgive the animal?

Some might feel this way, but most do not. Yet we tend to hold this expectation that another human’s transgressions against one’s own view of morality MUST be forgiven or else we cannot move on.

For this reason, I try not to see the world through the limited lens of “right” and “wrong”, “good” and “bad”.

In my worldview, we are all just wounded animals trying our best to get along and move on from the scars of our past. No one does anything that contradicts his or her own perception of what is right and good. However, all of us are programmed by past wounds to act as we do in order to avoid future suffering of the same kind.

Understand that fear, in one form or another inspires 100% of humanity’s “wrongdoings”.

A lot of people tend to view the world through the narrow filters of “right” and “wrong”.

I just see a bunch of wounded animals trying their best to heal themselves and get along.

Is the world of a predatory or benevolent nature?

Are we right to fear the unknown?

We certainly see nature display a predatory theme as death claims life with reckless abandon.

However, this is not the opposite to benevolence. For nature knows the importance of harmony and balance far better than we do, offering ecstasy in each little death.

Silently, she encourages us to take what we need and leave the rest alone, for it is out of need (not greed) that we may take without consequence.

But driven by greed, our society has been conditioned to take more than we need.

And so we find ourselves addicted to consumption; to having and devouring as much as we can in our lifetime.

This is our reaction in an effort to reclaim ourselves; to fill the gaping hole that has wounded our soul as we consume ourselves,

bite by bite,

   moment by moment,

  slowly from the inside out.

(c) Sarah Blake

Light and Dark are the original children of the divine duality.

Children, both equal in their merits and caveats, though in many ways humanity appears to favour light as the more benevolent, “spiritual” and higher of the two.

Enchanted, we often associate Light with purity, goodness, spirituality, cleansing and the soul.

Darkness, in contrast, is often related to debauchery, evil, fear and pain.

While darkness may amplify our fear of the unknown, Light, banishes the unknown, limiting possibilities and calming the insecurities that rise in the face of uncertainty. With light, creation is limited and our imagination is restrained – lest we forget that it is actually in the dark where all is equal and free.

Dark benevolently passes no judgment; she loves unconditionally.

Light on the other hand, illuminates what would otherwise be unknown. It gives shape to the energy that surrounds us, allowing us to perceive the interactions that take place in our environment. We feel safer and more secure in the light as form takes on a more familiar shape.

However, is it not light that inspires our judgments; separating form from form with the boundaries of “this” and “that”, “me” and “you”, “us” and “them”?

Is light then not the instigator of separation, and darkness facilitator of unity?

“All colours will agree in the dark.”  – Francis Bacon

Surrender your soul to the waters of time

The truth that all is transient

Floating freely down the canal to rebirth

Cling to nothing; but delight in the ride

The truth is discovered now

Naked and bare

Raw to the eyes of the blind

The discovery

Of what it feels to be free

Unburdened

Not wet yet nor dry

Exist in this space

As you dwell in this place

Let feelings guide your reactions

For nothing is right

And nothing is wrong

Spare the truth of your own moral compass

Remember now

What you knew all along

The truth

Your soul

Is now opened

And with no remorse

Abandon your thoughts

And live freely

On instinct and feeling.

I saw a snail just the other day. It was making it’s slimy trail along the footpath. My first reaction was to pick the little guy up. Take him off the path – save him from the chance of getting trampled on. But then I realized; who am I to change the course of this little snails life? I can’t be sure what it is he is trying to achieve. For all I know he could live for the rainy days like these, to feel his slimy belly contrasted against the rough of the cement. He could have spent the last 12 hours making his way acrross the grass, just for this moment. Or perhaps he lives for the adrenalin that comes from living on the edge. And who am I to take that away in the name of ‘what I think is best for him’?

Then again, I could be wrong…

But the point is: you never know.

Had an interesting conversation with some friends over the weekend…

We explored my philosophy that one never has to “be” or “do” anything.

They posed the question “do we not all have a responsibility to Gaea and all her earthlings to live sustainably and do the right thing?”

It was a very interesting point to make, and it’s been on my mind since. This is the present conclusion I have come to – keeping in mind that I’m still growing and learning myself…

Yes, we do have a responsibility to Gaea – to respect the earth and live sustainably – but I notice that we also have the freedom to choose not to.

Thus “we don’t have to be or do anything”.

And those who choose not to, provide the contrast in our lives which allow us to appreciate our favourite experiences all the more.

For this reason, I don’t believe in “right” or “wrong” – our morals are subjective and shaped by our own filter of personal experiences.

People act based on what they think is “right”, the “wrong” is just a disagreement with another’s morals. Besides, while our goals may draw some similarities, you can not judge another, for you have no way of understanding what it is they are trying to accomplish.

However, back to this whole question of responsibility: I think the hallmark of a highly evolved being is their ability to recognize the consequences of cause and effect and act in a way that is mindful of the bigger picture.

The bigger picture is that we are all interconnected and essentially one living system. In light of this a ‘highly evolved being’ realizes that mistreating the earth, or their fellow (wo)man will not serve well for them. And so they live reflecting this choice, mindful of their role in it all, choosing their path and walking forward with the awareness that each step has meaning.

Needless to say it was an interesting talk – certainly something I had not pondered much before…

And so, I’ll finish up with this favourite quote:

Choose something and then be it.

(c) Isaac Brest

There seems to come a point in life where we stop acting based on our own individual instincts and desires. Instead, we act in favour of doing what other people tell you us we should be doing. We are taught “right” from “wrong” and taught to feel guilty, shameful and/or embarrassed in certain situations. We lose touch with our own natural instincts.

When a child is born they do not know what it is to feel shame or guilt feelings – feeling self-conscious is completely foreign. They live in their own world of mysteries, adventure and joy.

Up until we tell their malleable little minds otherwise, to be naked is to be free; not embarrassing.
Freedom of expression vs justification

Then, in comes this concept of justification – that we need to have a reason for doing something – that feeling an urge to express a particular part of oneself is not enough on it’s own. Before we do something, we often feel a need to come up with a socially reasonable explanation. Until then, we tend put off the experiences we are really craving.

[I heard a man say last night when asked if he ever did sculptures as a form of art:
"No, never wasted time with that art stuff - everything has got to serve a purpose." Really?]

Perceptions and interpretations – the paradigm filter

Perhaps the most interesting thing I’ve observed as part of the human condition is that every one has an entirely unique life experience. Not just in terms of the actual events and memories that one accumulates through living, but, also the ways in which we perceive and interpret the world around us.

Based on our own personal experiences we see the world through the filter of a paradigm. This is why our world is not black & white, but colored. This is why there is no such thing as “right” or “wrong” as society likes to classify things. We all have different definitions/moral and ethical codes which are based upon our own individual paradigm. As is so, we could never really agree on a generic one-size-fits-all answer. For this reason, there is no point in judging another’s choices or listening to other’s judgements of your own actions.

Sure, it might be easier for someone to tell you what is right or wrong, but I think life is much more fun when you actually take the time to work that out for yourself. Life experience is a great teacher.

A tutor of mine once made a good point – for those who believe they are not blessed with the gift of creativity:

“We are ALL creative.
Truth.
You know how I know this?
Look at any child…
No matter where they are they are able to create a whole universe of fun around them.
They use their imagination to see beyond the mundane.
They  are open, seeing things we only deny because we’ve forgotten how to see them;
where to look; how to believe.”

1. Stop saying “just”. Value yourself and your experiences. You are more than ‘just a secretary’ or ‘just a student’. You are incredible and have the potential to be and do anything. Believe in yourself. You deserve it.
2. Use adjectives sparingly (sometimes they get in the way of the truth).
3. Understand that you don’t have to ‘do’ or ‘be’ anything. You have complete freedom and complete responsibility for your own experience. What do you want? Chase it with passion. Be relentless. Be liberated.
4. If it feels right at the time, then it’s fine. Life is meant to be lived. There is no ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ way to live it. But consider what you want on all three dimensions – mind, body and soul.
5. Recognize the creative powerful being that you are and own it. Heck, you can manifest the weather!
6. Nothing matters. Laugh.
7. You are everything – the good and the bad, the pretty and the ugly. The aim is to choose the most magnificent aspects on offer and make them a part of your reality – that is the highest choice.
8. Learn to say “No”. “Maybe later” is not the same. You are not being respectful of yourself or others when you neglect to say “No” firmly when you mean to. Learn to say it charmingly. Learn to be comfortable with it.
9. Speak to and treat others as equal souls, for they too are human like you.
10. Be honest.