I might be more of a lurker than a chatter but I am here. I loved your piece on scything. I homestead in Virginia. I have no idea how to upload photos but if I did I would send you one of my favorite chicken, Lady Grantham, who was sadly taken by a hawk or a fox. That’s life (and death).
The day after I read your post "Rarely Certain recapitulated" I was listening to an audio book called Smile at Fear (author Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche), in which there was a passage that sounded very similar to what you described (I think):
From [the point of view of the mistaken belief that the self is a solid entity], the ego feels rather lonely, and, at the same time, keeps busy trying to defend itself. It finds that it consists of a collection of desires, expectations, ideas, conclusions, memories, and many other things. This collection is too complex for the ego to grasp. Therefore, it conveniently constructs "I am" or "I am the ego" and tends to put this label on itself as if it were a real, individual entity. Having found a name for itself, the ego has to constantly work to secure itself because fundamentally, it knows that it is not real and sound. So ego keeps busy trying to build a wall around itself to shut itself away from the other. Then, of course, having created this barrier, immediately the ego also wants to communicate with the other, which it now perceives as "outside", not part of itself. If anyone gets too near the wall that ego has built, it feels insecure, thinks that it is being attacked.
I would happily join the chat but, not having a mobile phone, I have neither Ios nor Android and I don't see any obvious way to join through my desktop Linux. So it looks like I'll have to remain an outsider!
I came here via Flat Caps (and there via the Abbey of Misrule), to all of Substack by way of a town outside Barcelona (for the past 15 years), and there by way of several places in the US, northern Vermont being the closest to what I'd call home. With several teenage kids and piecemeal work, it's hard to find time to give prolonged attention to much else, but 'Rarely Certain' pretty well sums up my thinking for the past 40-odd years. And I enjoy your writing!
I might be more of a lurker than a chatter but I am here. I loved your piece on scything. I homestead in Virginia. I have no idea how to upload photos but if I did I would send you one of my favorite chicken, Lady Grantham, who was sadly taken by a hawk or a fox. That’s life (and death).
Hi Mike! I’m a Brit living in France! Happy to join the chat 😊
The day after I read your post "Rarely Certain recapitulated" I was listening to an audio book called Smile at Fear (author Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche), in which there was a passage that sounded very similar to what you described (I think):
From [the point of view of the mistaken belief that the self is a solid entity], the ego feels rather lonely, and, at the same time, keeps busy trying to defend itself. It finds that it consists of a collection of desires, expectations, ideas, conclusions, memories, and many other things. This collection is too complex for the ego to grasp. Therefore, it conveniently constructs "I am" or "I am the ego" and tends to put this label on itself as if it were a real, individual entity. Having found a name for itself, the ego has to constantly work to secure itself because fundamentally, it knows that it is not real and sound. So ego keeps busy trying to build a wall around itself to shut itself away from the other. Then, of course, having created this barrier, immediately the ego also wants to communicate with the other, which it now perceives as "outside", not part of itself. If anyone gets too near the wall that ego has built, it feels insecure, thinks that it is being attacked.
Thought I'd share.
I would happily join the chat but, not having a mobile phone, I have neither Ios nor Android and I don't see any obvious way to join through my desktop Linux. So it looks like I'll have to remain an outsider!
I came here via Flat Caps (and there via the Abbey of Misrule), to all of Substack by way of a town outside Barcelona (for the past 15 years), and there by way of several places in the US, northern Vermont being the closest to what I'd call home. With several teenage kids and piecemeal work, it's hard to find time to give prolonged attention to much else, but 'Rarely Certain' pretty well sums up my thinking for the past 40-odd years. And I enjoy your writing!
:wave:
I'll be happy to join the chat when it is no longer Apple supremacist and I can, y'know, actually JOIN the chat.