Zen-Haven June 21 2013
Have you claimed the authority to take a seat within your inner self and be that which you are? Inner security is what we’re going for here, and to get to the inner, we’ll need to start with outer security, move on through insecurity, and arrive at inner security.
I enjoy reading blogs, and just yesterday I came across a comment that defined the ego as misidentification of self. That’s a pretty good description, and a good lead-in to a discussion of outer security. I think we all know, deep down, that there is no such thing as outer security even in highly controlled systems or highly controlled lives, and yet we strive for it every day and in every way.
I’m recalling a man I knew who identified himself as a banker. He accumulated as much money as he could, projected an image of success, adhered strictly to his religion, ate very healthy food, and liked to go on ten-mile runs. He knew who he was, and he seriously controlled his life in order to maintain that identification.
One day during a run he suffered a stroke, and spent six weeks in a hospital plus many more weeks in a nursing home. He is no longer able to identify as a successful banker. Nonetheless he is the same person. Who is he now? His energy has been driven inside to the core as he applies himself to recovery. Is he now identified as a stroke victim or is he the energy of himself having a transformative life experience?
It is possible to live our lives without buying into the illusion that if our circumstances are controlled enough, and we are paying attention to every protective detail and doing everything that we believe is required, we will be secure. Working from this stance: a controlled life is a prison life and a misidentified self is a prisoner of the ego.
Now on to insecurity. We’re taking a step away from misidentified self to unidentified self. We see teenagers trying on this identification and that identification, and coming up with: I am the leader… I am the sexy one… I am the smart one… I am the athlete… I am different… and so on. But with these assertions comes insecurity. Will the world validate me as this? Am I doing a good job at being my persona? I’m not so sure.