by jacob glass
THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH YOU
oppressor is the mind of the oppressed.” -Steven Biko
“The most potent tool in the hand of the
n the ego-dominated world we live in, we are taught that our value and worth comes from externals—what we achieve, how we look, what we have, how talented we are and so on. And in this community, in which we are still somewhat marginalized, we can feel that we need to perform over and
beyond our straight counterparts in order to prove our worth. But this is simply the egoic treadmill that keeps happiness, joy and peace up ahead. We never arrive at our destination. No matter how big the muscles, many still see the skinny sissy in the mirror. No matter how “fabulous” the lifestyle, many still feel inadequate and left out of the “real” fun. Like so many things, our Pride celebrations start out with wonderfully good
intentions. Our community so needed to be able to stand in public to celebrate who we are, exactly as we are. But there is always a shadow side to everything that is always seeking to usurp our joy. Remember, all the ego ever wants is to steal your joy in the present moment. Often it steals our joy with a very cruel inner dialogue directed at others and at ourselves. We are an extremely diverse community of people and becoming more so all
the time. We must resist any temptation to judge one another because it only harms the mind of the one judging since our thoughts never leave our own mind. No one needs to overcome us when our own mind is oppressing us so regularly. So while there is great joy and celebration, there can also be feelings of judg-
ment, of “compare and despair” when that old ego gets hold of our thoughts. That’s why it is so important to know that though all human beings go through tough times—rejection, sickness, pain, heartache, loss and so on, it is important to know during the time of “pride” that there is nothing wrong with you to begin with. You are not wounded, nor inadequate. You are not damaged goods. You can be proud simply to be a divine creation in human form—period—just the way you are and just the way you are not. Of course we all make mistakes and we can all work on our personality issues. But our essential self is already worthy of any and all the good that we are open to
28 RAGE monthly | JULY 2012
receive. No one is exactly like you and there is no need to DO anything to establish your worth and value anymore than a rose has to EARN its place in the garden.
“Your worth is not established by teaching or learning. Your worth is established by
God. Nothing you think, or wish, or make is necessary to establish your worth.” -A Course in Miracles
HAVE A STAFF MEETING Every morning I sit at a coffee shop with my daily reading and my notebook.
Recently a friend came over to me and asked what I was doing. I said I was having my morning “staff meeting.” He replied, “That must get ugly.” I said, “Oh not at all. I love my staff! I tell them what a great job they’re doing. I
tell them to take more time off, that they deserve a bonus, and that it’s time for a massage and some real pampering!” Of course I am the only person on my staff because I work for myself. My friend
is the same way and he liked the idea because he admitted that he is very hard on his staff usually—always pushing to do more, more, more! But we all know that is NOT how we really get the most out of a staff. Cruelty and endless “motivation” to do better, is really just stressful and demeaning. It is the way the ego keeps moving the line so that we never arrive anywhere and are always dissatisfied with ourselves and with life. Pride starts every morning, every moment and it is an internal experience based
on how we talk to ourselves in our own head. The amazing paradox of this is that when we make friends with our staff and start to celebrate who we are RIGHT NOW, exactly AS WE ARE right now, that is usually when real success and progress begins.
Jacob Glass is an author and spiritual teacher who lectures monthly in San Diego, Los Angeles, Palm Springs and Santa Barbara. His new book, Starve a Bully, Feed a Champion is available online. For dates, locations and other information see his website:
jacobglass.com
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