A New Way of Life??

Yeah....at least thats what seems to be in the offing for me right now.
A new life where I find it easier to not be affected by people's criticism and/or praise....and this is not because of my earlier claim that "the people who praise you one day, criticise you the next"--infact this particular statement sounds almost like a justification for putting yourself on a moral high ground wrt the rest of the world(when in fact you are very much a part of the same world), a cynical approach to the world....the world aint bad u see...its our thoughts that are...our thoughts that make up our egos which are the centre of our existence .... and our egos in turn make us feel as if we are at the centre of existence. Sometimes I wish I were an astronaut....only to be able to go to outer space and experience the Infinite nature of creation and REALLY realise what a tiny speck I am....only to be humbled.

A new life where success and failure are just results... and I perceive myself increasingly as the instrument...for the sole reason that I no longer think that I can control everything the way I want(that is again a brainchild of the ego).....I am only in control of the action. The result is controlled by the upper hand. Since I am only responsible now for the work and not the result, I do not have reason to feel elated at "victory" or disappointed at "defeat". I am now learning to attribute to the Self all that happens in our lives...it is the Self that guides us. The self can accomplish what mortals cannot. So when somebody praises/criticises, it is the ubiquitous Self that they refer to. The ego tends to associate praise/criticism/defeat/victory with itself....and hence is the main reason for dissatisfaction and strife with oneself and others. There is no barrier of you and I....it is now a WE....because the Self is contained in all of us.

Now... the important yet irksome issue of forgiving somebody who has ostensibly "hurt" you....wait a moment...is it the ego they have hurt or is it the Self they have tried to hurt? This distinction is now clear in my head...It is my ego that is hurt when somebody criticises me, my ego that is proud when I receive praise, my ego that is disappointed when I am defeated, and my ego that is arrogant when I am victorious.
The ego is just an illusion...when the illusion disappears the issue of forgiving does not arise...who are we to forgive or point out mistakes in others? But since I am not completely rid of the ego... I forgive you all who I thought hurt me... I have selfish reason to...because I want to rid myself of the ego. I believe forgiveness is therapeutic.

I love you all and hope you see the way of the Self.
The way of the Self is the only way to reach the Self. Its time to listen to my inner voice(The Alchemist again seems to be influencing me here) and let it guide my actions along the path of Truth, Faith, Trust and Love.