“We should take care not to make the intellect our god; it has, of course, powerful muscles, but no personality.” —- Albert Einstein
We’ve all met these individuals in one way or another through our work place, social events, or sometimes in our own families. Listening to them is replete with an almost indelible stamp of prowess, ego, arrogance, unbridled accomplishment and testimony of intellectual mastery. Nothing could be more tedious or laborious than an individual who is not present in their own existence. They are so taken with themselves, that any reference to or question regarding veracity or substance is completely out of the their realm of consciousness or present awareness. They appear to have no clue of this simple principle stated by Huang Po, “Your true nature is not lost in moments of delusion, nor is it gained at the moment of enlightenment. It was never born and can never die.”
This should send shock waves through the mindfulness of a select few, as most intellectuals recoil with the concept of not being present within their own minds. There was a very flippant remark made not to long ago that suggested, some people are legends in their own minds. Those words are rather timely even today . . . unfortunately, the poignancy of the words are often missed by those who need it most. People have become indoctrinated with their self-importance which gives an illusion of power and control . . . allowing their resume to project who they are . . . reflecting conscious mediocrity and disconnectedness with their true nature.
We have become entangled with false information and narratives believing our own publicity. That’ right! One fine day you will awaken to realize whatever it is you created as a picture, snapshot, close-up or perception about yourself was a total fake. Then what . . . where do you go from there? When you’ve exhausted everything else during this life’s journey in the quest for real truth, honesty, integrity, content of character, ethics, trust etc., you’ve reached the first plateau of conscious mastery . . . now you can get out of your own way and take the advice of The Tao, “When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be. When I let go of what I have, I receive what I need.” The stage is set, you know your true nature that was always there and will never die . . . and now begins conscious mastery. JLR