250 A Programmer’s Guide to the Mind
This leaves us with a choice. Which aspect of me are we going to alter
first? Which „foot‟ are we going to lift up at the beginning? Let us look at
the two alternatives, starting with the one being followed by the world
around us today.
By the way, this is our first pass through the topic of personal
transformation. If everything does not make perfect sense, don‟t worry. We
will be examining the subject again. Because the issue is so essential—
after all, what is more important to me than me—I will walk through the
process twice, each time emphasizing different aspects.
First, we can build a new me with our physical bodies while leaving the
me of Mercy identification behind. How do we move ahead with the me of
our physical bodies? We learn new skills, we gain understanding about our
natural world and about our physical bodies, we pursue goals of external
wealth and improvement, and so on. In other words, we do what is being
done in today‟s society.
But how can we leave the me of Mercy identification behind while
placing the other foot forward? Well, we know that whenever something
good comes along, the me of identification will automatically try to
identify with the pleasant experience. Therefore, if we want to keep the me
of Mercy identification away from the me of the physical body, then
whatever we do with our physical bodies is going to have to produce some
sort of painful result: Face Mercy identification with suffering and it will
do its best to avoid the discomfort. Where does the me of Mercy
identification go today when it experiences hurt? It runs to find comfort
among its memories and its idols.A Therefore, if our physical actions lead
in some way to emotional pain and discomfort, this will repel Mercy
identification and force it to remain shivering on the cliff trying to hold on
to some pleasant memories in the past. We are now „straddling‟ the chasm
of uncertainty, with one „foot‟ on the near side and the other on the far side.
This sort of thing happens, for instance, when I experience personal
tragedy. Something horrible happens which makes Mercy feelings cry out
in agony and run for the „shelter‟ of emotional comfort. Meanwhile, my
body has to keep on living and working. Gradually this builds two separate
me‟s. On the one side there is the public me, guiding my physical body
through life and smiling at those who pass by. Meanwhile, the hidden
emotional me is crying and whimpering inside.
Now look
more closely at
our present society.
It chooses to
improve the me of
the physical body.
A We will discuss idols in the next book.
Suffering