"The so-called outside world and the so-called inside world come together. They are a happening. Your thoughts are happening, just like the sounds going on outside and everything is simply a happening and all you’re doing is watching it." — Alan Watts
What if the paradox is that you need a strong ego to transcend ego?
So, what if we focus on ego development instead of ego death?
"Having a substantial quieting of the ego is strongly related to having a strong, not weak, sense of self and with increased, not weakened, authenticity. Indeed, those with the quietest ego defenses often have the strongest sense of self." — @sbkaufmansloww.co/transcend-book…
You should know that the "American dream" is mostly a myth (if you think the dream is individually building wealth). Here's why👇
"The notion of the American Dream is part of our essence. Yet the numbers say otherwise. The life prospects of a young American *depend more on the income and education of his or her parents* than in almost any other advanced country." — Joseph Stiglitz
"Your circumstances at birth—specifically, what your parents do for a living—are an even bigger factor in how far you get in life than we had previously realized." — Michael Hout, Professor of Sociology at New York University
Those most pissed off about everything seem to be those most certain about everything.
On the flip side: decreasing certainty/increasing uncertainty (which means less pissed-off-ness) comes with increasing psychological development.
“Ego development theory alone postulates that it is ego’s task to construct meaning and to form a coherent narrative about existence to counter uncertainty.” — Susanne Cook-Greuter sloww.co/ego-developmen…
If you can get beyond the middle line of this journey, in a sense it’s like living in the future. You are among the minority getting a sneak peek of what the human mind is capable of… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Sorry to burst your bubble, but this popular image is not reflective of reality. Why not? Because it's not how the brain actually works (short thread👇)
According to neuroscientist David Eagleman:
This version at least reflects more elements of reality: