When you think about the sheer volume of conditioning each of us undergoes in this life it is a wonder anyone emerges into any semblance of consciousness. From the moment of conception the conditioning of “me” begins in the form of the biological predilections of mom (egg) and dad (sperm). In that instant the architectural blueprint for the body is agreed upon. The fetus bathes and feeds off a slew of chemicals that are dependent on what mom ingests and thinks (i.e. if she’s smoking, boozing and fighting with her mate, the little me-to-be is inundated with negatives that will adversely impact the health of the new born).
Next we are thrust – or pulled – from the womb and immediately set upon by an army of forces we cannot begin to imagine. A host of familial, cultural, environmental, and other forces set upon us with a vengeance and in short order there is no “me” because he’s been mindwashed by the endless “mirrors” that surround him. We are akin to new baggage carriers entering the world and that world is kicking down the door in its eagerness to saddle us with its baggage, which is why we hear so often about the relative “innocence” of babes until the adults have had a go at him/her. In due time we start to accummulate our own baggage and find young ones to hand it off to and thus the cycle is perpetuated – sins of the fathers and all that.
As I see it the trick is to step outside ourselves a bit and recognize that the “me” that “I” imagine “myself” to be has nothing to do with “me” and, in fact, that there never was a me to begin with. What perhaps then emerges is a “person” flowing with life’s currents but no longer identified with it – i.e. the “I” may have certain tendencies and habits but they have nothing to do with “me.” Just a thought. Or is it?
