CREATING IMAGES

When we’re in public, to fit in and be accepted, we often present an image of ourselves that we think others wish to see. This image reflects who we think we’re supposed to be and how we think we’re supposed to act. In reality, this image exists only in your mind. Trying to live up to that image only leads to suffering.

That’s the problem with pursuing images - they’re illusionary, and they can only take us away from the truth of who we really are.

As Jesus said in the Gospel of Thomas, “When you take off all your clothes and stomp on them, only then will you know Heaven on Earth.” It wasn’t our literal clothes that Jesus was talking about, but the images we have created for ourselves.

Practice

Notice when you present yourself to others in a away that is not how you really are. While you can still make a choice to do this, especially if it is for the benefit of the other person, the point is to be conscious of that choice. When it’s not benefiting you or the other person, drop your image and be who you are.

Living a Life of Awareness

~ Don Miguel Ruiz Jr.