12-29-2009, 12:00 AM
just a thought - i believe to better understand this issue, one of the best things that a person can do is to get a second perspective. many other
"paths" are extremely similar to DJ's "warrior" path. tibetan buddhism, yogic paths, if you examine them closely you will see many
common themes. i think of it working the way our vision works: if you put your hand over one eye and try to walk around like that, your depth perception is
off. when you use two eyes, however, their combined information provides a better sense of totality in your vision. it's the same with DJ's or any
other path. you can better elucidate the true meanings by seeking other sources and from the combination, you'll find more depth. another thing to bear in
mind is that neither castaneda nor DJ are native english speakers. this is not to say that their word choices are incorrect, but it's something to keep in
mind.
the way i have come to understand "self-importance" is by examining the sense of the term "self" indicated here. the "self"
spoken about here is what can be called the "small self". it is the ego - the personality. it is the self that likes to think it is special, that its
job, family, money, or values defines and exalts or condemns it. that self is the part of you that needs to be important to go on existing. therefore, we
constantly talk to ourselves about aspects of this self, to keep it vitalized. nothing energizes this self better than setting apart from everything else by
acknowledging its aspects, functions, or charateristics - even in a negative way.
i think we all can agree that this self is not truly who we are. you will go on living and being just as important as the homeless war vet or the terrorist or
the newborn baby without that self. beyond that self, the only thing that distinguishes one of us from the other is the amount of energy we have and what
we're doing with it. "getting rid of self-importance" is just the Warrior's way of "killing the small self" so that the higher self
can resume its rightful place as the true leader of the totality of yourself. it's the ultimate petty tyrant.
"paths" are extremely similar to DJ's "warrior" path. tibetan buddhism, yogic paths, if you examine them closely you will see many
common themes. i think of it working the way our vision works: if you put your hand over one eye and try to walk around like that, your depth perception is
off. when you use two eyes, however, their combined information provides a better sense of totality in your vision. it's the same with DJ's or any
other path. you can better elucidate the true meanings by seeking other sources and from the combination, you'll find more depth. another thing to bear in
mind is that neither castaneda nor DJ are native english speakers. this is not to say that their word choices are incorrect, but it's something to keep in
mind.
the way i have come to understand "self-importance" is by examining the sense of the term "self" indicated here. the "self"
spoken about here is what can be called the "small self". it is the ego - the personality. it is the self that likes to think it is special, that its
job, family, money, or values defines and exalts or condemns it. that self is the part of you that needs to be important to go on existing. therefore, we
constantly talk to ourselves about aspects of this self, to keep it vitalized. nothing energizes this self better than setting apart from everything else by
acknowledging its aspects, functions, or charateristics - even in a negative way.
i think we all can agree that this self is not truly who we are. you will go on living and being just as important as the homeless war vet or the terrorist or
the newborn baby without that self. beyond that self, the only thing that distinguishes one of us from the other is the amount of energy we have and what
we're doing with it. "getting rid of self-importance" is just the Warrior's way of "killing the small self" so that the higher self
can resume its rightful place as the true leader of the totality of yourself. it's the ultimate petty tyrant.