Contra Tolle, Part 1

A belief common to Vedanta, some Buddhist traditions, and many New Agers, in particular Eckhart Tolle, is that our 'ego self', or 'mind', is not our 'true self'.

In my view, I am not split into an ego and a true self. I do not have an ego. I am an ego. I am my true self and my true self is me. There is no other me but me.  

To devalue my ego is to devalue my true self. To devalue my true self is to devalue my life. To devalue my life is to devalue my spirit. 

To devalue my spirit is to practice an anti-spirituality rather than a spirituality.

So, in my view, the "ego vs true self" belief is a belief that when acted on is actually harmful to healthy and strong individuals. It promotes withdrawal from rather than engagement with life. 

Perhaps such a belief can at times be helpful when one is very sick, depressed, or anxious like Tolle was. Then it can provide a way of escaping one's miserable life. It's a kind of mental opiate for those unable or unwilling to live life fully.

Just Say No to Transcendence

I do not seek to transcend my self. My ego is not something I want to transcend. I cannot both transcend my self and be my self. Why would I want to be something other than my self?

I might want to transcend myself if I believed there was something wrong with me or something "higher". However, "I" am not a problem that needs transcending. "I" am not a caterpillar in a cocoon. There is nothing "higher" for me to become than me. "I" am a one-of-a-kind gift. That means I am very rare. I am valuable, of inestimable worth.

Rather than transcendence I seek transformation. Rather than seeking to escape my self, I seek to become the full, strong, mature, unique ego I am meant to become.  Then I will be the best gift I can be for the world.

Contra Vedantists and New Agers: No "Self", Just "self"

Some believe in a Self, an ultimate, eternal, infinite Self. It's like an ocean. 

They believe their self, their ego, interferes with their awareness of Self. They desire to transcend their ego and, like a drop of water, be absorbed into the boundless oceanic Self. Then they will be without limits. Nirvana.

Let's be clear. They're not talking about something they know. They're talking about something they believe, a matter of faith. They are certainly free to believe what they believe. 

They might have had what I call an ecstatic unitive experience. They might have experienced being absorb into the ocean. It's an experience based on what they believe. As we believe so we experience.

I do not share their faith. I do not believe in an ultimate, eternal, infinite, oceanic Self. What I see and experience are drops, egos, individual selves: your self, my self, and all other selves. "Drops" is not the best metaphor. "Stories" is better. 

For the time of my life, until I die, I am a story, forever changing, always in the process of becoming. My story is an adventure. I make it up as I go, one action at a time.

As the main character of my story, I do not seek to vanish like a drop in a boundless ocean. Like an acorn lives to become an oak tree, I live to become me. I am always becoming me. "Me" is an ongoing creative process of development. "Me" is a narrative of revelation in a network of other narratives of revelations. 

We all play roles in each other's stories. Our lives are interwoven networks of spirited

narratives. We are living threads in a potentially eternal weave.

"Me" is always new. So are you. There is always more of us to become.

Why would anyone want to extinguish their self? Extinguishment. That's what nirvana is. It's the opposite of being truly alive and becoming who we are meant to become. Turning inward to seek nirvana is another way of avoiding and denying our life. It's another form of self-medication. 

I prefer opening my eyes, engaging in life, and living it fully.

Low "Low self" Esteem

Some believe we have a "Higher Self". This implies a "low self" as well. 

They believe that the Higher Self is better than our low self, our ego. Oh, how they exalt the "Higher Self." They can't get away from ego fast enough.

If I am split into a Higher Self and low self, I have high "low self" esteem. 

However, I'm not split into a higher and lower self. I do not have an a ego. I am an ego, one that is multifaceted and constantly developing. 

When asked by High Selfers, "When you observe yourself, who observes you?" I say, "I observe myself. I have the ability to self observe. It's not that big of a deal really."

I sometimes wonder if those who believe they have a "Higher Self" do so because they loathe their self. Well, of course they do. They want to escape their ego; that is, they want to escape themselves and be someone else.

Some want to dissolve completely, like a drop of water in the ocean. Now that's low "low self" esteem.

I Do Not Have a Body

I do not have a body. I am a body. I do not have a mind. I am a mind. 

Likewise, I do not have a spirit; I am a spirit. I am a spirited body-mind. 

As a spirited body-mind I do not have an ego. I am an ego, a unique self. My ego is not a part of me. My ego is me. 

There is only one of me. When I am here, I am here. When I am gone, I am gone.

While I am here, I cannot lose myself. I cannot find myself. I am my self.