The Dichotomy of Self

Recently I’ve realized that we all possess two opposing “people” within ourselves. There is the facade created by the ego, and than there is our true self which is aligned with our soul. The two seem to be in constant conflict with one another when left unacknowledged.

The facade of our ego is different for us all, but it’s primary agenda is always the same. The ego sees only separation, separation from what we want, from other people, from the world and even from God. To the ego life appears as a constant struggle, and it never seems to have or be enough. Because of this false belief produced by the ego we attach ourselves to people, places, outcomes, the past, the future and the material world.

In contrast, our true selves see life as an exciting adventure filled with love and joy. Our true selves always have enough, are enough, and will always be enough. The true self maintains an attitude of detachment, it is able to let go of life’s “problems” and move on from the past. It sees the bigger picture and remains calm amidst chaos. Our true self empathizes with others and understands that although everyone may appear different, we are all fundamentally the same.

The difference between the two is night and day, and when in confliction they make the world appear grey with confusion. Anxiety arises when the ego is present and left unobserved. As it attaches itself to outcomes, people, places and things, it makes us believe we are attached to it as well. However we are not, and when this is left unacknowledged we live a life of dispair as we become enslaved by our own thoughts and our own minds. As Eckhart Tolle would say, the master mistakes itself as the instrument. Hell isn’t a place, hell is our attachment to the ego and to our minds.

You see, life is just one big production. The ego is the role we play and our true self is the actor. But who we are is in all honesty the audience, we are the observers of our lives and the experiencers of life. The script was written by God, and we are here to experience ourselves. In order to experience and know ourselves, we must first experience what we are not in order to know what we are. What we are not is the role we are playing and our ego. What we are is our true self and the actor of it all. But who we are is the audience, the one observing and experiencing the whole play.

The thing is, this production that forms the appearance of reality is just an illusion of who we really are. We are spiritual beings having a human experience, not human beings having a spiritual experience. What is the best way to know oneself? By experiencing what one isn’t. Experience has always been the greatest of teachers, so in an effort to not only know of oneself conceptually we have come here to know ouselves empirically.

I challenge you all to observe yourselves and your minds. Appreciate the dichotomy of not only this complex outer world, but the inner world within yourself as well. Observe it all without judgement, because the mind is the only thing that judges and attachment to the mind is attachment to your ego. Enjoy the bliss of being and become the observer of your life in order to get in touch with your true self. That is where true inner peace and happiness reside.