If you say anything about me and it hurts (in fact, if you say anything about me and I feel anything but the joy of being enlightened to your point of view), I’ll know I’m clinging to an illusion about myself that isn’t aligned with my true nature.
I’ll know I’m trying to hold onto something that isn’t true, that isn’t mine, that I don’t need.
So tell me anything about me.
I want to know what I’m carrying around that could be put down.
I want to move through the world unburdened.
If you say I’m an asshole and it hurts, It’s because I’m defending, in my own mind, the illusion that I am a nice guy. The truth is, I am neither an asshole nor a nice guy.
“Asshole” and “nice” are opinions, and everyone has a slightly different opinion. In truth, I am a whole person who is hearing about someone’s experience. If I’m clinging to the illusion of my niceness, I go to war with my fellow beloved person and become an asshole, surrendering the very thing I’m trying to hold onto. If I let go of this false need to experience myself as “nice” in the face of every challenge to this false identity, I can connect with the person in front of me. They can tell me all about it and I can listen with all my heart without a need to change anything in theirs. I can be totally connected to their experience of me and hold them, and myself, in love. Some might even consider that nice.
If you say I’m selfish and it hurts, It’s because I’m defending, in my own mind, the illusion that I am a generous person. The truth is, I am neither selfish nor generous.
“Selfish” and “generous” are opinions, and everyone has a slightly different opinion. In truth, I am a whole person who is hearing about someone’s experience. If I’m clinging to the illusion of my generosity, I go to war with my fellow beloved person and become ungenerous, surrendering the very thing I’m trying to hold onto. If I let go of this false need to experience myself as “generous” in the face of every challenge to this false identity, I can connect with the person in front of me. They can tell me all about it and I can listen with all my heart without a need to change anything in theirs. I can be totally connected to their experience of me and hold them, and myself, in love. Some might even consider that generous.
If you say I’m irresponsible and it hurts, It’s because I’m defending, in my own mind, the illusion that I am a responsible person. The truth is, I am neither irresponsible nor responsible.
“Irresponsible” and “responsible” are opinions, and everyone has a slightly different opinion. In truth, I am a whole person who is hearing about someone’s experience. If I’m clinging to the illusion of my responsibility, I go to war with my fellow beloved person, which is irresponsible, surrendering the very thing I’m trying to hold onto. If I let go of this false need to experience myself as “responsible” in the face of every challenge to this false identity, I can connect with the person in front of me. They can tell me all about it and I can listen with all my heart without a need to change anything in theirs. I can be totally connected to their experience of me and hold them, and myself, in love. Some might even consider that responsible.
If you say I’m thoughtless and it hurts, It’s because I’m defending, in my own mind, the illusion that I am a thoughtful person. The truth is, I am neither thoughtless nor thoughtful.
“Thoughtless” and “thoughtful” are opinions, and everyone has a slightly different opinion. In truth, I am a whole person who is hearing about someone’s experience. If I’m clinging to the illusion of my thoughtfulness, I go to war with my fellow beloved person and become thoughtless, surrendering the very thing I’m trying to hold onto. If I let go of this false need to experience myself as “thoughtful” in the face of every challenge to this false identity, I can connect with the person in front of me. They can tell me all about it and I can listen with all my heart without a need to change anything in theirs. I can be totally connected to their experience of me and hold them, and myself, in love. Some might even consider that thoughtful.