26. The Damned Ego Tree

Let’s revisit a story that’s been

passed down through generations.

A story about the dawning

of suffering and of separations.

When ‘ego-consciousness’

was born it was first described

as the fruit of a forbidden tree.

Then separate-selves… hid

behind separate bushes

and separate ‘ego’s’ grew

from the discarded seed.

May I freshen up that allegory?

Speak clearly what I believe?

That under the damned ego tree

we forgot this-nesses inherent unity

in the fabled story of Adam and Eve.

The setting was a garden

all things

growing forth

naturally.

The garden of Eden

grew human-volition,

animals, plants, weeds, and trees.

The great Earth stretching-evolution

of Earth in seas, and soils, and seeds.

Before preferences entered the picture with the

consciousness of infinitely separate ‘you’ & ‘me’.

At that point in our evolution though

all things according

to their unified natures thrived on Earth free.

But the lone exception to the initial fractal freedom

was the fruit of that damned ego tree.

Because the knowledge of potential ‘goods’ and of ‘evils’

would inevitably spread otherness

to the corners on the breeze.

But don’t just trust me,

let’s try an experiment.

Pay attention to your breathing… Then

to what your ‘mind’ will next foment?

(Slow relaxed breath x3)

…My bet…

is that your next distracted thought

will be made up of a knowledge

of a longed for good or a resisted evil.

Or a preference leading to competing

with ‘separate-selves’, ‘other’-people.

A potential windfall, or a fear.

Professional ambitions or scares.

Enemies, friends, tacos, beers,

a new car, or better hair.

The game of egoic consuming

has become destructively redundant.

We’ve lost inherent grounding

to the storied life abundant.

Consciousness is rapidly being lost.

Our moments now just consist of a jumble

of compulsively anxious thoughts.

Of prides and fears,

or shoulds and aughts

And Marketing…

as the new town preacher

promises meaning

in things we’ve bought.

But the planetary misery

that comes from humans

growing hell is the product

of the errant misconception

projecting ‘otherness’

onto ‘separate-selves’.

But the lesson taught

when Adam and Eve ‘fell’*

was about forgotten ontological-Oneness

not assigning blame and moral-perils.

The expanse between pure experience…

and ‘ego-consciousness’

is what was once called the fruit of

“the knowledge of good and evil”.

The fruit made us forget…

That “it is fundamentally

in ‘terms’ and ‘abstractions’

that we think.”**

So said the late great Alan Watts.

So instead, I’ll meet you in the Now.

Where we are more

than just our thoughts.

Since it is becoming increasingly clear

that in order for Earth to ever again Be free.

We must again begin to see all things

as a co-operating ‘Us’

not a competing ‘you’ and ‘me’.

Or entropic otherness will eventually

boil off our seven-seas.

Ending Earth’s story

in separated misery.

Unless mankind can now transcend

the fruit of the damned ego tree.

* Genesis 3:1-11

** Alan W. Watts (1915-1973)

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