In this reality we all commonly share, we do have many walls and curtains that keep us from letting our true nature always express itself. Ego gets in the way. Ego wants to be accepted. Ego believes that one piece of art might be better than another. Ego wants to compete. Ego wants to win.
EGO IS NOT ACCEPTANCE
"Remember", says my friend Blackswan, "acceptance does not equal approval or even equanimity. To be accepting of another is a state of courageousness and readiness, a state in which we are open-minded, put others before ourselves, and believe that the situation at hand can be solved, compromised upon, worked out, or survived. Acceptance is active and receptive, not passive and self-congratulatory."
Now Blackswan is speaking about a group of people whom she helps manage whose function is 'radical compassion'. But her words are not so out of context here, for where she is talking about one offering 'radical compassion' to another, I am suggesting to you, to give 'radical compassion' to yourself.
"People", Blackswan goes on to say, "always have reasons for what happens or has happened in their lives, and part of our job is to hear them out. The next part is harder: to help them let go of rehashing or clinging to the difficulties and wrong turns of fate or self, and to look towards the future – for us especially, the immediate future and their time at the event. Help them remember two things: first, that every moment brings with it the chance to remake ourselves – an opportunity for introspection and for a changing of the mindset. To an extent, we make our own world, and our power resides in being able to look at the world with fresh eyes and mind each day, and act in the best way we can towards whatever, whomever, comes into our world, to act within our ethics, with a sense of kindness, generosity, responsibility, service, and respect. Secondly, most of what we worry about is a smoke screen, something that prevents us from seeing what is the truth in front of us. Worry can act like a mental trap, hampering our ability to take action and act rightly. A great deal of what we worry about never happens or will not affect us in the way we imagine it will. Help people sort out the real worries from the fakes, and the real consequences from the imagined drama."
James Baldwin said "You cannot fix what you cannot face". We help people face themselves and their immediate situation. We cannot fix their lives, but we can give them the courage to go out and begin doing so themselves.
DON'T LET EGO GET IN THE WAY
Ray Johnson has so inspired me. Even before I really saw his art, he had inspired me. And why? Because he was willing to risk revealing the true nature of himself. He was not afraid to give himself that permission. It seems so easy, and yet, as I too struggle with my ego and desires and selfish needs. For community is not so much about giving oneself to the group, nor about taking one's needs before others; but rather, finding a balance between the two. Community is created when we recognize the power of our egos; and yet, rather than attempt to subjugate the Ego, we give it permission to rest at times. We allow oursleves the beauty of stillness, the power of Nothing and the utter joy of allowing our true inner selves to manifest themselves in simple and pleasurable moments we tend to call 'wasted' time. My friends, there is no such thing as wasted time.
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