Here is a dialogue from a bulletin by Sam I wanted to cement.

quote of the day

“Self-importance is our greatest enemy. Think about it - what weakens us is feeling offended by the deeds and misdeeds of our fellowmen. Our self-importance requires that we spend most of our lives offended by someone.”

– Carlos Castaneda

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Newfreewill:

I agree, however, it's an ineffectual quote; because the feeling of self-grander should be focused on, and overcame. Also, that's not an easy task, even to feign.

To paraphrase Tolstoy in "Resurrection," every action we commit to in reality needs to be both good for us and good for everybody, for if any structural interaction causes harm to self or anybody else, it is evil. Meaning, if good for you and bad for anyone, it's as evil as, bad for you and good for everyone.

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Sam:

Yes this is true, I think for this to be more encompassing of that truth it should be labeled self-grandiosity rather than importance. Yes self is certainly important compared to grandiosity which is the over inflating of the ego beyond that which is self preservative. However then we get into the territory of "what is good for the fox is bad for the rabbit". We would need a more extensive definition of "evil" in that case, as one would not find a fox evil for eating. Even with the repercussion being the death (ultimate bad) of another. Love the deep thinking my friend :-)

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Newfreewill:

Absolutely, and thank you for the quote and the provoking dialogue.

Even though I understand the context of the fox and rabbit analogy, I would like to follow a more humanist approach, with a touch of Hobbes snd Rousseau for good measure. In so much as, all human interaction in a structured society, as a base line, should be duteous and inherently good, honoring contracts, both written and verbal, as well as, a duty not to shrink from controversy.

Moving back to Castaneda's quote, with his focus on the individual, that was on the surface seems correct, yet benign, and lacking depth. I added an individual centered take by Tolstoy which places self importance in a good light, not self-grandiose a point you conceded. Yes, one persons good opinion may be considered evil to another person's opinion; leading us back to the fox and rabbit analogy. However, in the United States, as 50 separate countries, we as individuals tacitly entered this Constitutional Republic and those morals have been laid out societally via a constitution, (State and Federal), common law, judicial precedent and future judicial review; i.e., the law. Meaning, 99.9% of the time right and wrong is clearly spelled out and has been though rigorous judicial review. In contrast, plenty of things that many would see as harmful, evil or wrong are not criminalized.

As described in the prior paragraph, the fox and rabbit analogy does not have a place in this discussion, as it moves the discussion further from Castaneda's overall intention; how to be a better person.

In "Resurrection," Tolstoy continues his narrative by positing the idea that it's much harder to follow the moral precepts an individual believes are inherently good, because of the constant pressure to conform and commit actions that an individual believes are wrong; Castaneda's, "feeling offended by the deeds and misdeeds of our fellowmen."

The more I read the quote, the more I'm feeling there's an underlining context that proceeded it...if not I'm basically reading it as, "Don't trifle with other's concerns, and invest in your own pursuits."

I digress...

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Newfreewill:

As I've been think more about this quote, maybe what Castaneda was alluding towards was somewhat deeper; because it didn't take much contemplation to conjure Nietzsche and Jung. The solution to Castaneda's dilemma is presented by Jung, where he states, “No tree, it is said, can grow to heaven unless its roots reach down to hell.” Meaning, people must continually face and address personal demons, and if they want to flourish, they can't get caught up on other people's motives or actions. In addition, I believe Nietzsche presents something similar to Castaneda's quote, where he states, "You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist."

Don't let ideas or rhetoric become you, only temporarily possess you.

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