It will never cease to astonish me how the “I,” like the very tips of our noses, goes so unnoticed in the everyday actions of the world in which we live, as well as in the core ideas which it amasses and with which it, like ocean water via eons turning sweet water brackish, indoctrinates us.
As “I” write these words, “I” am focused on their meaning, not on “Me.” My “Me” is comfortable, the heater on, a warm cup of tea thawing my hands and throat and body, and the gentle massage of the keyboard letters against my fingers lulling me into calmness.
Yet, this could be otherwise.
My heater could be on the fritz, my water cooker malfunctioning, and a faulty keyboard delivering the laborious pecks of a 19th century typewriter. In such a case, the condition of my “Me” might very well be distracting me from the meaning my “I” wishes to convey to you.
Substituting the defunct heater with a dictatorial boss, the shivering body with a job lacking in meaning, and the laborious work of my fingers with the daily strain of dealing with the recent loss of a loved one, I find myself hurled into the daily chaos of existence with my “Me” now, not just distracting, but burying my “I.”
Yet we refuse to believe this. We stubbornly perpetuate the strategy of giving the “Me,” the ego, priority over the “I” because someone told us this is the way we should live our lives. We should first seek money over everything else so that the “Me” is fully satisfied. We must feed the Me Monster. Who cares if the boss is a terror, as long as the heater is the best brand available? Who cares if we have deep bouts of sadness on the way home from work everyday, as long as the “Me” can afford praiseworthy things? And the grieving of the loss of that loved one will just have to wait: the “Me” has just too much to do.
And yet here we are, suffering emotionally, sleepless, the rich meaning of our lives wandering aimlessly through an endless shrouding fog … all due to the unnecessary stress continuously heaped upon ourselves for the glory of the “Me.”
The first true step to self-awareness is recognizing the difference between the “I” and the “Me.” Look at your current lifestyle closely: are you feeling joyful and free or are you frequently saddened and stressed by the outside world?
Be honest.
If the “Me” is reigning, it is not too late to change. We don’t have to give up the comfort of basic heating, or throw out our morning tee or coffee, or even toss that affordable keyboard out the window. But we do have to choose an assertive way to communicate with that tyrannical boss, one that frees rather than closets our “I.” We do need to take time to listen to our passions, our meaningful means of contributing to society. We do need to take time to properly grieve our life losses so that poor emotional health does not lead to poor physical health.
We need a New World View that puts the “I” first, if we are to find true joy and freedom amid the chaos of existence.
Or, in the words of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, “We are not physical beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a physical experience.”
Yours in the infinite joy of the “I,”
Phoenix Richardson.