I feel myself resisting -- I don't agree with what the author is saying. All those things he says don't matter, do matter. I don't even agree with his saying that the only thing that matters is "whether you are willing to be completely alive." As far as I know I've never been completely 100% alive -- well, maybe when I was intrauterine and for a short while after birth. We are awareness, as he says, but we are not only awareness. The author is speaking idealistically -- I don't know if it's human to be "unconditionally kind, honest, etc..." I don't agree that there is nothing in the way -- living in this world in this form doesn't stop us but it is in the way. As for letting go of all mental and emotional versions of myself to be what I am, I've done that to some degree sometimes, but as far as I know I've never let go of all mental and emotional versions of myself altogether. I don't know if anyone has. To be completely aware and alive, completely oneself, would be to not be in this world and not be part of it, and probably get one's throat cut in one way or another. What I've accomplished so far is to sometimes be in the world but not of it, and to enjoy various amounts of aliveness along the way.
On Apr 13, 2014 david doane wrote :
I feel myself resisting -- I don't agree with what the author is saying. All those things he says don't matter, do matter. I don't even agree with his saying that the only thing that matters is "whether you are willing to be completely alive." As far as I know I've never been completely 100% alive -- well, maybe when I was intrauterine and for a short while after birth. We are awareness, as he says, but we are not only awareness. The author is speaking idealistically -- I don't know if it's human to be "unconditionally kind, honest, etc..." I don't agree that there is nothing in the way -- living in this world in this form doesn't stop us but it is in the way. As for letting go of all mental and emotional versions of myself to be what I am, I've done that to some degree sometimes, but as far as I know I've never let go of all mental and emotional versions of myself altogether. I don't know if anyone has. To be completely aware and alive, completely oneself, would be to not be in this world and not be part of it, and probably get one's throat cut in one way or another. What I've accomplished so far is to sometimes be in the world but not of it, and to enjoy various amounts of aliveness along the way.