i8myegoSenior Contributor
We are all just walking each other home
Genuine compassion requires letting go of the ego-driven identity of being the "helper" and the other as the "helpee," which actually creates separation.
Feeling good has been bumming me out today.
I had a post about it, which I didn't publish, it was attempted humor but it felt wrong, it was glib.
Now that I have sat with it for a few hours.
When I'm not ok, my ego is in check. When I am ok, my ego is more dominant. I think this is the main source of discomfort for me.
The reason my ego is central to my thoughts is that I am trying to become nobody. I have had tastes of it and it is truely liberating.
"You can have it all but first you have to become nobody."
"Having it All" explained is. When you stop trying to be a specific, constrained "somebody," you cease to have tension, pretenses, or fears of losing your status. This brings you to a state of being where you can "have it all"—meaning you are present, open, and connected to the universe rather than a limited identity.
The Taoist discipline of Wu Wei has at the heart of it, this concept "do nothing and nothing is left undone"
Which means results are achieved without forceful struggle.
I think when I feel bad it is easy to do but when I feel good I tense up and things feel forced.
When I feel good I'm the "helper" creating separation but when I dont feel good I'm nobody.
I know this is just an atrophied muscle. But it's a tough one to work on because feeling good isn't a regular occurrence and it's not easy to want to do the work when I just want to enjoy it while it lasts. But then I feel uneasy.
Now that I've named it. Next time I feel good I'm going to do the work.
Let me end on a joke,
The Rabbi is standing at the altar, overcome with religious fervor. He throws himself on the floor and cries out, "Oh God, I am nothing! I am nothing!"
The Cantor, seeing this, is also swept up in the spirit. He throws himself down next to the Rabbi and shouts, "Oh God, I too am nothing! I am nothing!"
The janitor at the back of the synagogue, watching this display, is moved to his knees. He throws himself down and cries out, "Oh God, I am nothing!
"The Rabbi nudges the Cantor and whispers, "Look who thinks he's nothing!"
