http://youtu.be/1SPg9w--jJk
To introduce this I'll take the easy route, initially at
least. And that is to go to my youth,
when I have no problem spotting ego in me, that part of the nervous system that
desperately wants attention, desperately wants to be highly regarded, an
addictive sort of yearning, totally divorced from any truth as to whether such
regard, that desperately sought conveyed sense of importance, is due, has been
earned. Oh, I was like - someone's
created a great art project in class, not me, but I eagerly jumped to the fore
to explain how wonderful it is.
Huh? In high school, being on the
track team and quite good, but not the best, inserting myself with some
authority with someone I wanted to impress to explain how good so-and-so was, sorry Billy B, in the hopes
that some of their work, some of their prominence, some of their excellence,
would be associated with me; fully undeservedly so; theft, by whatever name.
Ego. Bill Clinton, if was anyone on the planet didn't need
to have an ego at play it was that grotesquely gifted, unfairly gifted
individual, intellect, social skills,
and maybe at times even some tiny measure of heart, or extraordinary
ability to mimic heart. And yet you can
rarely if ever see a picture of Bill Clinton, or clips of him, where he's not
so tangibly aware of, so painfully aware of how he is viewed, how he is thought
of. Pitiful. Hideous.
Deadly selfish.
And when that yearning is allowed out, is not kept totally
under lock and key, and guarded 24/7, sedated, it will exert its influence, not
maybe; if it's on the stage it will influence our behavior, and to that degree
that the individual is not acting out of heart, is not acting for the
well-being of the individual clients, or the alleged purpose of their efforts,
those allegedly being advocated for, being fought for - no, it's about
satisfying that part of our circuitry, that addictive part of our circuitry
that desperately wants attention, desperately wants to be thought well of,
desperately wants power and influence, no matter what the cost. Ego.
Our resident crack addict.
It's death friends.
Those who would argue that ego can never be overcome are legion. Those who never become Navy SEALs or Marines or
Olympic athletes, are legion. There are
few that choose, in this case regarding mastering ego, that choose to achieve
the health that our DNA influences us to achieve – zero ego free to wreck. But we all could, and in prior, healthier
times, did so to a much greater degree.
So I'll not waste time on the naysayers, and they should not waste time
on me, or these books, or video logs.
Unquestionably there are those in whom the ego is never
seen; is never allowed out; is never unlocked from the prison, is never
empowered, is never given an ounce of power.
The great Unviolent warriors throughout history. And if one wants to see them unravel,
tragically unravel, typically toward the end of their life, that's when their
egos begin to show.
I can't dream of having the influence that Ralph Nader has
had in his life. Whether ego was never a
prominent feature within him, his characteristics, or whether it was always a
prominent feature as it is now, based on my recent encounters, he's had a
tremendous impact. But if his ego was in
evidence in his most productive years, that's extraordinary, because rarely
does anyone of ego have an impact, other than, destroying all hope of
productive work.
If you're the potent, pre 60's like activist, ego is nowhere
to be found, of you, or in you. Maybe
you were lucky, maybe you grew up in an environment where it was never an
issue, in which case, you are at significant risk, because it is likely to rear
its head and you won't know what you are dealing with. Much more likely, if you are a potent
activist, or yearning to become one, you are acutely aware of your ego. It doesn't escape your gaze, it doesn't
escape your guard. And you keep it where
it belongs, totally disempowered under lock and key.
If not, you need to know that if you associate with potent,
serious activists that don't quickly enough recognize your ego, you'll in all
likelihood, summarily destroy much or all of the hope that otherwise they could
have brought to humanity. King, Gandhi,
Jesus, Diane Wilson, probably Tim DiChristopher, Rachel Corrie, Diane Nash of
the freedom riders, Alice Paul, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Wael Ghonim… are all
examples of people that chose life without ego.
I think they are folks to be envied, and copied, and followed, and their
shoulders stood on. I hope you think so
too. I hope you think about it.
No comments:
Post a Comment