‘I’ Is A Fiction, And A Misdirection

There is a trap in the English language which we all fall into that reinforces the idea of self. That word is ‘I’, which comes from the Latin word, ‘ego’. In consciousness-awareness terms, ‘I’ means a reinforcement of attachment to a constructed self. This trap creates egoism ie self-interest as the foundation of moral behaviour that we don’t notice in operation. As such, we become immoral because of self-interest, hence the misdirection; the hallmark of this is the arising of emotions.

It’s not easy to shake off! 🙂

Sometimes, we may use the word ‘I’ in a friendly manner, as in “I hear what you are saying”, which sounds better than “There is acknowledgement of your words.” 🙂

Just being aware of the use of the word ‘I’ can help us navigate communication in order to stay objective. First, we notice how much the word ‘I’ is used in everyday conversations to reinforce opinions rather than facts, thus arousing emotions. When we use the word ‘I’, we prop up subjectivity. It’s a mental trap.

On an intellectual level, the word ‘I’ is described as that which is aware, but this actually downgrades or obliterates consciousness, as we vaguely assume that consciousness is something ‘I’ use, but never question what ‘I’ is.

Confused?
I am always confused.
“May confusion dawn as wisdom.”
– Gampopa.

In pure consciousness
– which is spontaneous presence –
there is no time for an dualistic ‘I’.

Try not using the word ‘I’ for a day … Kathie and the person who wrote this article did, and it’s very funny 😀