EGO DEATH - KILLING THY FORMER SELF
Updated: Apr 17, 2023
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you
something else is the greatest accomplishment.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson
I will be forever grateful for living through one of the most dramatic periods of history on Earth. It's unclear how many of us even realize the importance of what we experienced during the "Covid years." It successfully fractured society as we once knew it.
Never have we been so connected, while facing such an array of seemingly catastrophic events that splinter the world.
Personally, I've spent the last few years analyzing my past while questioning everything I thought I understood about life. It seemed as though each sunrise was accompanied with breaking news of a brand new dilemma requiring our dire attention.
As I peeled back each layer of the apocalyptic onion, the greater the depth I found. I suppose a worldwide pandemic and the birth of your first child within a given year is enough to send any man into a tailspin of truth.
Eventually, I acknowledged the need to completely dismantle the man I'd become in order to move forward as the father and husband I aim to be. To help with the process, I purchased two pieces of antique furniture in order to physically practice the procedure of breaking something down in order to recreate and instill new life.
It's a very symbolic expression of killing thy former self. An ego death.
The bookcase is a reflection of the knowledge I've gained throughout my life. Books have always played an important role in shaping my intelligence and view of the outside world. When choosing a book to read, it's an deliberate attempt to seek information on a specific topic. When you read a book, you gain a new perspective of life from an author who dedicated a portion of their life in order to share their ideas. Reflecting on the books that occupy the shelves at my home, I realize the influence (good or bad) they've had on my life.
The writing desk represents the importance of sharing my own ideas and life experience with the world. Over the course of a decade, we've cheated ourselves in the way we communicate. We've witnessed an overwhelming introduction of new forms of communication while dismissing the importance of considerate expression. I intend on offering myself the time to sit with my thoughts free from the distractions attached to modern technology.
I've spent the majority of my career telling the stories of others. This desk will play an integral role in how I tell my story.
Life is simply a formula of consuming and producing. The exchange of goods, ideas, and information are the foundation of our cohabitant existence on this planet. It appears, as a society we are dangerously tilting the scales as a concentrated number of producers are feeding a mass majority of consumers.
There must be a balance in your soul, in your home, in your community, in your country, and in the world.
I'm afraid I belong to a generation of men and women whom instinctively prefer to consume rather than create.
What has caused this to be the case? I'll cover what I've learned.
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