I heard a quote by Eckhart Tolle, which says “Are you defending the truth? The truth needs no defense. You are defending yourself, or the illusion of yourself”.
So often, when we defend our positions, we feel the need to be morally superior to someone else. For example, I have a spotless house. (OK, so this example isn’t really about me) I was raised to believe that cleanliness is next to Godliness. No matter how tired I am at the end of a day, I pick up papers and toys, make sure all of the dishes are done, and the laundry is folded and put away. And then I pat myself on the back for a job well done. Now, I could stop there, feeling good about myself. But no. You see, you have a house that looks like it was recently broken into and tossed for valuables. The garbage stinks under the sink. Dishes are piled up. The dog is chewing on your shoes. And I can’t help feeling just a little superior to you. After all, my house looks like it’s out of a magazine. Yours looks like the fraternity from Animal House.
Now, I know that this kind of judgement is wrong. Anyone with a conscience knows this is wrong. But here’s an example from my real life which isn’t quite as blatant. You see, in my real day to day life, I am a bit like example number one. I function best in order. If my house gets too messy, I get anxious. I like to know where stuff is. It keeps me calm. But I know and love people who live in what, to me, is chaos. Their house really is messy most of the time. I have never loved them less or thought I was better than them because my house was neater. We are just different. And then I read an article stating that some people function better in chaos than in order. Order stresses them out. Wow. Who knew? Not me. I was surprised. And it was then that I realized that I was secretly harbouring the idea that if they just cleaned up their house a bit, they would be happier. Oh, they were certainly happy already, and worthy, and all good things, but they would feel just a little bit more so if they just threw some stuff out. Well, hello life lesson, how are you today? You see, if I really wasn’t judging, I wouldn’t have been so surprised. My ego was running that internal conversation.
Ego runs the show most of the time on this planet of ours. We are often arrogant, sometimes unknowingly, believing that we are just a little bit better or more in the know than someone else. We may have a better job or a nicer house. We are smarter, healthier, or prettier. We are a better artist. We are better at not judging, at being fair, at being more socially conscious than the next guy. I recycle, do you? As long as our ego, our illusion of our self, as Eckhart says, is running the show, we will continue to compare and judge.
But when we live our life guided by the universal energy that is our core and that each of us is a part of, it is no longer about right or wrong, better or worse. When we tap into that love that is our essence, we become more aware. Aware of a way of being that is so much larger than our day to day life on this globe. Aware that we are more than our egos. Awareness that leads to understanding, and a world where we can all be valued and accepted. A world where we see each other’s light, instead of each other’s differences. Where we are all equal. Namaste.
BreatheShellyGirl 