The Two Me’s 249rebelled against further progress and have attempted to preserve their
culture at all costs. You see, the human mind really does not like
plummeting through the void. The only reason that the Eastern mystic can
„live‟ with his head totally in the clouds is that his feet are absolutely
anchored in the permafrost of his Eastern culture.
Let me summarize. There are two me‟s: the me of Mercy identification
and the me of the physical body. First, we cannot change both of them at
the same time. This leads to mental disintegration. We see this illustrated
by the rebellion of industrializing countries against excessive Western
culture. Second, if we try to change one aspect of me, then the other part of
me will be forced to hold more strongly on to something that is solid. This
explains why our Western world has struggled to protect its culture and
religion from the encroaching influences of modern technology. Third, if
one part of me is solid, then the other part of me can be allowed to drift.
This is why a country such as the United States can get away with lusting
after death and destruction. Because it is industrialized and the me of the
physical body is in good condition, the me of Mercy identification can be
permitted to float into various alternate realities to gain excitement, or to
practice mind games that remove feelings of guilt.A
Changing one ME at a Time
Changing both forms of me simultaneously may lead to mental disaster,
but I suggest that altering one at a time is a very different story. This
appears to be quite possible. We could compare this process to walking.
First, we use either the me of Mercy identification or the me of the
physical body to build a corresponding partial new me on the other side of
the chasm of uncertainty. This is like picking up one foot and putting it on
the other side of the gap. While we are changing one aspect of me, we
keep the other side of me fixed. This is like using our second foot to hold
up our weight while moving forward with our first foot. Second, we
transfer our personal identity from the old me to the new me, just as
walking transfers the weight of the body from the back foot to the forward
one. Finally, we let go of the old me and allow the new me to pull it across.
This is like lifting up our back foot and pulling it forward.
A But didn‟t I just say that Western civilization changes the me of the
physical body? Yes. However, in the United States, the me of the physical
body has been transformed and is now comfortable with the idea of change.
Americans expect technological improvement and the system is designed
to deliver these changes to the consumer in digestible, bite-sized chunks, as
„advances in the state-of-the-art.‟ That is part of the American concept of
me. In many other countries, technological change is still seen as a threat.
There, the me of the physical body has not yet become accustomed to the
idea of change.