Social Criticism and Self Scrutiny

Social Criticism

I felt significant recognition in the casual purposelessness of complimenting someone of his (or hers) appearance, his externalism… his shell. At that certain moment it was so absurd to me, no less than the absurdity of the rejoicing of the ego of he who accepts the compliment.

Have you ever recommended a Pizza that looks nice, but tastes bad? At best one would have said: “Yes, this Pizza looks nice alright, but it tastes like shit”, but most probably the appearance of it would have been pushed aside by the momentum of the wasted essence of Pizza – to be tasty. So also, the essence of a human is not to be pretty but rather to be humane.

Self Scrutiny

I am certainly not above it; the truth is that I am actually quite below it. Just the same as a bad person must first recognize his bad qualities in order to change them, so also a man who is blindly addicted to his own ego, to his fragile paper-thin coating, must first acknowledge that before he passes judgment on that of others, who criticize appearances and on the other side of the fence, of those who react to that criticism.
I’m not even in that level of being able to absorb such a compliment. Usually I instantaneously reject compliments, because I cannot cope with someone saying nice things about me. I am too used to the defense mechanism of warfare.

So, at first I must learn to accept compliments and give them back – with all me heart; from all my heart. Perhaps later the stage will come when I will be able to feel the gentle vibration of ego, as it arises, as it intensifies, as it subsides and vanishes. Only when I will truly be able absorb criticism and see that there is no longer a conditioning of craving or aversion, that there is no more a reaction of the I, will I know that I have overcome ego totally.
I can only assume that by the time I reach that high stage, I will be able to totally identify with all those who haven’t yet ripened enough in wisdom, and not haughtily criticize all that which naturally derives from the roots of that disease which we all suffer from.