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Old 05-13-2004, 03:29 PM   #3
Janet Rosen
 
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Location: Left Coast
Join Date: May 2002
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Re: Article: True Self Defense by George S. Ledyard

George, I was really struck by this in particular:
"So what we do as human beings is to devote most of our energy to trying to maintain our false, conditioned construction of ourselves. Anything that threatens that sense of identity feels like a threat to our very survival (whereas it is only a threat to the survival of the false identity). We seek out companions and experiences that support our false sense of self and yet at the same time there is a counter drive for us to look inward towards our deeper nature."
What a well-said description of so much that is negative in humanity, on both personal and civil scales, and applicable both to those who don't have a clue and those who do and sigh and keep working on it. Nothing personal or institutional can change meaningfuly without accounting for this. Thanks for saying it clearly enough to help me focus on it.

Janet Rosen
http://www.zanshinart.com
"peace will enter when hate is gone"--percy mayfield
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