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I awoke one morning to the aftermath of our President referring to the origin countries of immigrants from Haiti and Africa as “shit hole” during a Congressional meeting at the White House. Apparently, several Congress Members attended that bipartisan Oval Office caucus. On TV news, one Congressman confirmed what the President had said; despite the President’s vaguely unapologetic Tweets. WTF? The world continues on.
In my daily morning meditation, I got that I have no idea what goes on internally with anyone. What I do or say determines how I occur to others. How I occur is my external and experiential effect on us. Yeah, this might be needlessly existential. Consider this more concrete personal example. In the past and present, I’ve occurred as a dick more than I would have liked or copped to.
I say, “I’m a dick.” The “dick” is transparent for sure. However, what is the “I”? In an interview, Werner Erhard told the story about his Japanese interpreter, who assists him when he delivers programs in Tokyo. He asked her to find the “I” in her language. Easy right? “I” is real, right? After about a day of failing to locate the “I”, she admitted that she couldn’t find “I”.
So what is the “I” we constantly refer to? Consider the model Werner offered from his observation: For the most part we accept the concept that life is a game. What if the “I” is just a game piece in the game, much like the Scottie Dog in Monopoly? Yeah, this reference exposes my agedness. What if the “I” is the avatar in your favorite online game? “I” is what we can refer to in the game of life.
When I say, “I am happy,” maybe it is more accurately, “I’m being happy”. Clunky use of language at best, yet it more or less captures the purpose. I am left with the experience of being happy. I occur as happy to others. Going back to my original thesis: I’m a dick. More accurately, I occur as a dick to others.
I really don’t know what goes on internally with anyone. So there really is no “he or she is,” as well. However, we experience the other’s “occurring” for whatever that might be: happy, sad, whatever.
If we really can’t locate or define “I”, then perhaps there is no answer to “Who am I?” Yet, I determine or have the say in my occurrence for others. I’m responsible or empowered for what I say, what I do or who I’m being in how I occur for others. When I occur as thoughtless to someone else, then I’m responsible for cleaning that up. I really invent how I occur in any given moment. That’s not particularly easy. Humility becomes our reckoning.
I live in the honor culture of the martial arts, specifically Aikido. The foundation of martial arts is respect, honor, and humility. We are all human and shall make mistakes. Regardless of your aligned culture, what you do or say defines your occurrence for others.
In Aikido I bow, clean it up, and dedicate to being greater than who I am. I honor everyone including me. I create the possibility of becoming greater than who I am now. I have faith within me, too.
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Photo credit: Flickr
Lisa – The photo is hysterical! Ha!