We don’t live in the world. We experience our own thinking. There’s a lot hidden in those two sentences.
Through our thinking, our ego trips us up in two ways. Firstly, it’s insecure. Secondly, it exists in a world of right and wrong.
Given a choice the ego will wonder if –or more often even assume– that we’re wrong. And in a world filled with unfathomable choice, this constant second-guessing ends up being a mental form of self-flagellation as a daily experience.
Everyone reading this knows this flagellation. Not one among us escapes the harsh critiques of an ego raised in these days of knowledge and ignorance –and more importantly, the fear of the latter.
We all know how critical our egos can be of ourselves in our thoughts. Is it any wonder people are depressed? Most of us spend most of our days telling ourselves that either we or others are wrong when in many cases our opinion of an event is irrelevant.
Despite the gravity of the subject of choice and desire, Barry’s presentation is warm and funny. And he really does make a compelling argument for creating more happiness by simplifying our lives by wanting less. Enjoy.
peace. s
A serious childhood brain injury lead Scott to spend his entire life meditating on the concepts of thought, consciousness, reality and identity. It made others as strange to him as he was to them. When he realized people were confused by their own over-thinking, Scott began teaching others to understand reality. He is currently CBC Radio Active’s Wellness Columnist, as well as a writer, speaker and mindfulness instructor based in Edmonton, AB where he still finds it strange to write about himself in the third person.
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