Was listening to this on my run this morning...
Spectrum ~ ALO (Animal Liberation Orchestra)
Here I am, once again
At the
other end of the spectrum
A tug-o-war, my head is sore
'Cause I adore and
I fear you
Well I can disagree with myself 'cause sometimes I feel like me and sometimes I feel like somebody else
One minute, I'm over it
Then the
next minute, I feel the opposite
Then the next minute, I feel the
opposite
Of the opposite, of feeling over it
An essential part of the awakening is the
recognition of the unawakened you, the ego as it thinks, speaks, and acts, as
well as the recognition of the collectively conditioned mental processes that
perpetuate the unawakened state. That is why this book shows the main aspects of
the ego and how they operate in the individual as well as in the collective.
This is important for two related reasons: The first is that unless you know the
basic mechanics behind the workings of the ego, you won’t recognize it, and it
will trick you into identifying with it again and again. This means it takes you
over, an imposter pretending to be you. The second reason is that the act of
recognition itself is one of the ways in which awakening happens. When you
recognize the unconsciousness in you, that which makes the recognition possible
is the arising consciousness, is awakening. You cannot fight against the ego and
win, just as you cannot fight against darkness. The light of consciousness is
all that is necessary. You are that light.
And finally...one of my favorite Graham Nash songs:
Be Yourself
How does it feel
When life doesn't seem real
And you're floating about on your own
Your life seems uncertain
So you draw the curtain
Pretending there's nobody home
Don't theorize
Look in your eyes
They can't tell lies
Though you may disguise what you see
The mirror is free
We once had a savior
But by our behavior
The one that was worth it is gone
Song birds are talking
And runners are walking
A prodigal son's coming home
Don't theorize
Look in his eyes
They won't tell lies
But if he defies what you see
He'll give you a key
Be yourself
Be yourself
Be yourself
Be yourself
We needed a tutor
So built a computer
And programmed ourselves not to see
The truth and the lying
The dead and the dying
A silent majority
Don't theorize
Look in their eyes
Are they telling lies
The ones that they learn on T.V.
What a way to be free
Be yourself
Be yourself
Then you can free yourself
Free yourself
See yourself
Then you can see yourself
Come on and see yourself
See yourself
