book: Awareness - Anthony de Mello

[wil]

You may wish to check this out...
(Catholic Notification concerning the Jesuit Friar's writings)

"Don’t say, “I am depressed.” If you want to say, “It is depressed,” that’s all right. If you want to say that depression is there, that’s fine; if you want to say gloominess is there, that’s fine. But not: I am gloomy. You’re defining yourself in terms of the feeling. That’s your illusion; that’s your mistake. There is a depression there right now, but let it be, leave it alone. It will pass. Everything passes, everything. Your depressions and your thrills have nothing to do with happiness. Those are swings of the pendulum. If you seek kicks or thrills, get ready for depression. Do you want your drug? Get ready for the hangover. One end of the pendulum swings over to the other."

~ Anthony de Mello, 20th century Jesuit priest

from Awareness

It is interesting to me as in Unity thought when you say I am you are invoking the aspect of you that is connected to the "I am". The thinking quite similar to the above in that the goal is to not adulterate that connection by identifying the negative aspect with it.

[Nick_A]

Originally Posted by wil

You may wish to check this out...

(Catholic Notification concerning the Jesuit Friar's writings)

It is interesting to me as in Unity thought when you say I am you are invoking the aspect of you that is connected to the "I am". The thinking quite similar to the above in that the goal is to not adulterate that connection by identifying the negative aspect with it. [/left]

The human condition is such that we cannot say I am in other than our imagination. It must be followed by something. I am this, that , or the other thing. "I am" doesn't exist for us but exists only as human potential