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"A human being is part of the whole, called by us 'Universe'; a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest: a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole nature in its beauty. Nobody is able to achieve this completely but striving for such achievement is, in itself, a part of the liberation and a foundation for inner security."
Albert Einstein :
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There are two parts of you, at odds with each other. The ego, that tries to create separation by judging, and the Spirit that only wants to love. Ego may say "There, but for the Grace of God, go I" and think itself compassionate, but it is really expressing a negative judgment about the other person, and congratulating itself on its superiority. Ego creates a separation out of fear, and is pleased not to be too close to another. Ego seeks to measure itself against other people and create hierarchies and beliefs of superiority and inferiority.
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http://kundalini-teacher.com/awakening/ego.php
There is separation, and then there is its close cousin, demonization.
Ironic isn't it ? Learning or teaching about the ego, in the age of Trump.
champion of the common man against the coastal elite.
Realists see him as a pathological liar and nothing like a champion of the common man.
Even regular politicians will often lie about what they are going to do for their voters, but Trump took this to levels that were light years beyond satire.
wtf is a common man anyway?
Let's say the common man is in the middle 80% in terms of assets, income, and education. Not the top 10% or bottom 10%. Did not go to Ivy League school. Does not have big inheritance.
And you don't think those folks live in coastal areas?
Charles Koch lives in Kansas. Buffett lives in Omaha.
New York City has the largest amount of high net worth individuals in the United States with a population of 8,655. It was followed distantly by San Francisco with 5,460 and Los Angeles with 5,135.
It seems to prove my point nicely:
The birth of a child is the separation of its own body from it's mother's body.
Our thoughts are a continuation of the same story. We separate everyone into "our people" and "other people". Those we can trust, and those we cannot. Even when our own people betray our trust, we quickly give them another chance, because we see them as part of ourselves.
The word קָדוֹשׁ ("kadosh") in Hebrew means both "holy" and "separate". The Jews are expert at separating themselves from others. It is central to their religion.
Goodness is not an inherent property of anything. "There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so." Good is that which is good for my self, where self includes those you love. What is good for you and yours may be evil for others and theirs. Wolves find the flesh of deer to be very good, and think nothing of the suffering they cause the deer. Nor can they, or they would starve.
"If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?”