But how sad is it to see mature adults falling into the games of the ego? The Osama Bin Laden's, the George W Bush's, the Kim Jong- il's, the Sadam Hussein's and Dick Cheney's of the world. Where is their maturity? Lost somewhere in the tremendous vortex of their egos. Egos must play out their scripts as Freud said, in business, politics and the arts, but under the watchful and restraining eye of responsible, spiritually mature adults. We should never let people lost in their egos pull the real strings. Nationalism, wars, environmental destruction, misery in places of abundant wealth are all products of the ego. Spiritually mature people don't let oligarchs, investment banks and corporations bath in fortunes while people close at hand live in poverty.
Modern life brings many difficulties along with its wonderful achievements. It's common now in the West to see couples having their first child almost exactly at the apex of middle age. It's difficult to look one's baby in the eyes and not feel the ego rise in rightful defense of the young family. Where is the time for the spirit to grow when there are mouths to feed, bills to pay and schooling to provide? How is the earth going to sustain wealthy 60 years olds consuming like 25 year olds? If we look at life in two parts, the first is spent in full service of the ego, raising offspring, making money, finding status, and the second is the elegant glide back into the universal from which we emerged. Unfortunately, too many people want part two to be a remake of part one, which in the end denies the greatest and most difficult fruits of life while devastating the earth and denying the world a mature, enlightened leadership. As Jesus told Martha, sister of Lazarus, who worried too much over the home, as opposed to her spiritual sister Mary. "Martha, Martha, Mary has chosen the better half, and it shall not be taken from her." What is the "better half"? It is the un-owned, un-possessed, un-speak able, un-identifiable, the void, all that is and ever was, the road less traveled, the Tao.
Of course, embracing the spiritual life is no easy task, if it where, the promise could not be so great. At mid life, people must face death and embrace it. It's much more comfortable to flee toward security, no matter how ephemeral it is. An adult must make a great leap of faith to not only accept death, but to embrace it, bath in the sublime nectar of impermanence, brevity, change and all that is transient. Only from this place is one able to see why we are unhappy in spite of our possessions, status, money, and unending consumption. By letting go of all that sustains us, and feeds the ego, we can finally feel the euphoria of universal consciousness. Almost all traditions point a big finger in the same direction, no matter what our background, one must only look up and you will see it hanging over you, pointing you somewhere, and if that place terrifies you, than you know you are on the right path.
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