By: Iyo_Embong

Through our lives we are conditioned into an EGOIST state of mind where we view ourselves as somehow separate from the rest of the world but at the same time the CENTER of it. It is an illusionary state in which we identify with a set of concepts, feelings, opinions, and judgments about past experiences. Then wrap it all into a big ball convince ourselves that our big ball of “nothingness” is a rock solid substantial thing, it is our own little shadow “reality” in which we root our identity, and we name it “ME”.

Many of us go through life half-dead, burdened by so much concerns, problems and difficulties, needing to be slapped on the face in order to be waked up from our misery of “ME”. All you who are tired and exhausted with earthly cares.  All you who are so dizzy solving all sorts of problems.  Whoever you are, whatever your situation, a lot of it got to do with our “ME” concept.

Once a person forgets who he or she is, then trouble begins. Once a person forgets his or her mortality, his or her dispensability, and his or her dependence on others, then we have a situation where a person thinks he or she can go on and do everything without anyone. A simple case of mistaken identity, wherein an instrument thinks that he or she is the only source, wherein a creature thinks that he or she is the creator.

Then we protect our shadow reality “ME” from the other seven billion shadow reality “ME’s” that has been imagined up. Our “ME” becomes our eyes and ears and it begins to think and react based on the rules of its own little reality. We feed our “ME” more ideas, concepts, opinions and judgments to make them seem even more “substantially” separate. “ME” can only perceive existence from a you vs. me, outside vs. inside, up vs. down, good vs. evil, white vs. black, good vs. bad, allies vs. enemies, boys vs. girls, rich vs. poor, heaven vs. hell… and therefore it lives in constant fear of opposing forces, yet at the same time it counts on opposing forces to bring it happiness.

Just remembered the one day I was sitting outside enjoying my quite time. The silence and the solemnity of the moment were shattered when the sound “your battery is low” came out from my mobile phone. It was a beautiful reminder for all of us that we cannot; we should not rely on our own batteries.

Sadly many of us need to hit rock bottom, need to be slapped on the face, so to say, before we come to our senses. As long as we are in the stage of denial, blame, or anger, we cannot resolve anything. True conversion has no hidden agenda, no plans. “I’m sorry” is a complete sentence. Whoever says “I’m sorry” but goes on to affix the words “if,” “but,” “in order that,” is not really, really sorry. He or she has not yet hit rock bottom.

To attain happiness it depends on external concepts such as wealth, friends, family… and when these things disappoint it reacts with suspicion, anger, violence, hatred…. We know deep down that this is not reality so we are unsatisfied with our “ME”, we long for true happiness. What the “ME” doesn’t realize is that happiness or “heaven” is laid out right before our eyes and that every moment is perfection we just have to stop trying to see it through the conceptual, opinionated, judgmental, egocentric, eyes of EGO and PRIDE of “ME”.

By: Iyo_Embong 2012©Copyright. Any distribution, reproduction or copying of any part of this article is forbidden. If you wish to use this article please only use the first 2-3 lines as an excerpt and link back directly to the article along with the Authors name.