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activities； attributes； personality characteristics； and personal boundaries that
your ego is now defending； you will find that many of them were not on the
list ten years ago。 And if you grow toward higher consciousness； most of
them will not be on the list ten years from now。 As you increase in
consciousness； you see with perspective the way you are busily engaged in a
mechanical playing…out of the roles in which you have programmed yourself。
All of these things that your ego is busy defending act as a series of boxes
that keep you trapped。 Every box suffocates and is your ever…present source
of vulnerability on the roller…coaster of pleasure and pain。 Most of the
addictive models you are now guarding represent patterns of personality that
are a function of the time and place where you were born and grew up。 If you
had been born in a different social group； your ego would be busily engaged
in guarding a different set of roles。
The world is here for us to enjoy； but we can totally enjoy it only when we
are free from identifying with the roles we play in the drama of life。 the only
way to continuously enjoy a game of chess or checkers is to avoid taking it so
seriously that you get emotionally caught up in either winning or losing。
Human beings （with their big rational minds） enjoy solving problems。 But we
tend to take these problems with such seriousness （perhaps due to our
prestige addictions） that we kill the aliveness and fun of our here…and…now life
situation。 We need a way to discriminate between what we essentially are
and the motivational models that generate our behavior。
To get free of our identification with the social games in which we are now
trapped； we must clearly see the games for what they are。 It can be helpful to
experience a book such as Ruth Benedict’s Patterns of Culture。 When we
see the mores of our tribe from the perspective of parative anthropology；
it helps us liberate ourselves from our cultural traps。 When we really see the
economic and social folkways of our in…group with insight； how can our egos
continue to get away with demanding so much that we really don’t need in
order to be happy？ How can we take so seriously the many prestige games in
which we are now engaged？ How can our pride keep us imprisoned in the
meaningless “loss or gain” and “fame or shame” games that we previously
thought were necessary to make our lives work？
A conscious being does not reject either his individual games or society’s
games he just plays them as games。 If our group says； “Let’s play the
game of keeping the sexual parts of our body covered when we walk down
Main Street；” it is accepted as a part of the here…and…now games of life。 If a
conscious being is in a place where the group says； “Here is a beach or a hot
springs where nude bathing takes place；” an individual without addictions in
this area can also flow with what is here and now。 Except where individuals
are being harmed； conscious people flow with the activities and feelings of
the group。 They are magnificently flexible； and they are fortable with
whatever dance the social orchestra may be playing。 They are equally
fortable in trying to change the dance for they usually find ways to
work toward change from an “us” space。 Their consciousness； love； insight；
and flexibility give us messages that help us spring free from the social
rigidities that we thought were “natural。”
So we gradually learn that we are not these personalities that our egos are
defending so valiantly。 If we are not our personalities； this collection of
motivations that we have picked up from our society； just what or who
are we？ Many of us identify our selves with our bodies this changing
structure of bones； muscles； and other organs enclosed by our skin。 When
our bodies are not well or are transmitting a sensation of pain to our
bioputer； our egos tend to focus attention on the pain so that we identify
pletely with the pain。 As we grow into higher consciousness； we
increasingly realize that we are not the bodies we live in。 Our bodies are just
temples that are the homes of our consciousness。
Once you stop identifying with your various social roles and your body； you
will probably say； “Aha！ My essence is my rational mind。” For isn’t this the
essence of being human？ This is the part of your bioputer that has the
ability to use language； to analyze； to calculate； to produce thoughts and
images； to sort out sensations； to store them away in memory and to retrieve
them； to use symbols； to pare beliefs and assumptions； etc。 Didn’t
Aristotle define man as a rational animal？ But here again； your rational mind
is not your essence。 Your intellect or rational mind is a magnificent “sixth
sense” that can help you in your journey to higher consciousness if you know
how to use it properly。 Or it can keep you helplessly trapped in the lower
three Centers of Consciousness by slavishly cooperating with your ego to
form rigid； logical defenses that maintain whatever programming you are now
stuck with。 So you let this one go too 。 。 。
You are now getting it narrowed down。 If you are not your social roles； your
body； or your rational mind； just what is left？ Are you your senses the
various gates through which visual； auditory； tactile； taste； and olfactory data
are received？ Or are you your emotions those feeling tones that you
expend so much energy in either getting or avoiding？ Are you your
programming the collections of desires； motivations； expectations； and
demands on which your ego focuses most of your attention and energy？ Or
are you your ego that “master controller” that is such an absolute dictator
when you are trapped in the lower three Centers of Consciousness？
Fortunately； the essential you is none of these； either。 And so we continue the
search for “you。” Could it be that the search for your essence is clouded by
your ego…backed programming that wants you to be “somebody”？ Does your
name； your memory； and your rational mind bine to give you the illusion
that you are a specific entity that should make a splash as you pass through
the world of people and things？
At this point