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Separate the ‘I’ from the ’Not I’
Imagine the mind as a tool at your disposal. It persistently presents thoughts and emotions, like sitting at a desk with a stack of index cards, each one holding a thought or idea or emotion or reaction. Select the ones that serve you. Discard the ones that don’t.
Manuel Enrique
August 09, 2023
In Stoic philosophy, the core principle revolves around distinguishing between what we control and what is beyond our control. External circumstances and events are out of our control. Ourselves and our reactions to such events are within our control.
But wait a minute… what truly constitutes ‘myself’? Is it the stress I am feeling right now? Am I the thoughts of anger that fill me up when something frustrating happens around me? Am I the reaction itself?
The Yogi philosophy complements the Stoic advice by delving deeper into the innermost core of our being. Referring to our mental development, Yogi Ramacharaka expressed these remarkable words:
“Before you are able to master, control, and direct the things belonging to you— your tools and instruments— you must awaken to a realization of yourself. You must be able to distinguish between the ‘I’ and the ‘Not I.”
And what is the ‘I’? It is your Real self. The divine spark within you. Eternal. And you are just awakening into the knowledge of your real nature.
And what is the ‘Not I’? Your body. Your desires. Your emotions. Your cravings. Your personality. Your thoughts. Your anger. Your stress. Your worry. Your reactions to events. While all these things belong to you, they are not you.
To make it easier for us to control negative thoughts and emotions, we should start by separating ourselves from our minds. To realize we are not it. The ancient Yogis distinctly separate the individual, the body, and the mind. This forms the foundational step in mental evolution. Life becomes easier when seen through this lens.
Imagine the mind as a tool at your disposal. It persistently presents thoughts and emotions, like sitting at a desk with a stack of index cards, each one holding a thought or idea or emotion or reaction. Select the ones that serve you. Discard the ones that don’t.
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P.S. Thank y’all who responded to yesterday’s poll. I wish this platform would let me reply to each of you. Great topic suggestions. I’ll keep doing my best to give you valuable reflections and perspectives.
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