Unity and Self-image
Spiritual teacher and leader Ram Dass uses the second chapter to define our own self image and how it affects our relationships with others. While Dass admits that our own titles and egos allow us to connect better to the experiences of those similar to us, Dass argues that our egos ultimately hamper our ability to serve others. Personally, I have seen this issue arise on several occasions. Consider our class discussions regarding empathy towards non-human beings. Whether we were discussing the rights of fictional humanoid androids, or the rights of animals, we could, at the very least, acknowledge the failure of people to act on compassion based on differences. It is hard to ignore the overwhelming amount of people unwilling to serve because they are unwilling to resolve differences and aim for unity. Unity…it was a major goal Dass believed all people should aim for. Dass explains the purpose of egos when he pointedly argues that “with increasing perspective,
In "The Bucket List," Freeman, like the patient in the anecdote, finds happiness even nearing death.
we can see that all of our ego identities, models, and self-images can be useful, but need not be entrapping. We gain this perspective very slowly but the direction is clear.” (p. 34) The story of a young doctor who treats “a black man in his sixties-very cute,very mischievous, and very sick.” As the doctor grows closer to the patient, he ultimately dissolves the “confinement as narrow, limited, isolated entities.” The doctor cleverly expresses such disintegration when he states, “for years, I’d trained to be a physician, and I almost got lost in it.” (p.31) Dass makes an excellent point by referencing the Marx Brothers. Groucho and Harpo laugh off “portrayals of humanfoolishness,” and recognize the importance of “com[ing] off self-image.” (p. 33) Besides tossing of the chains of self declaration, Dass even touches on spirituality as he talks about some “essence of Being which is in all things-call it God, Life, Energy Consciousness-as open to all that as we are in ourselves, so we have it to share with one another.” (p. 50) By tapping into this divine energy, we can step away from the road blocks of self concern and achieve a sense of unity by which we can all help each other.
It may seem like an odd reference, but Dass uses the Marx Brothers to teach us to laugh at our own egos.
Suffering
In his third chapter, Dass analyzes the interaction between the mind and the heart regarding mankind’s responses to the suffering of others. Dass believes that “Denial, abstraction, pity, professional warmth, compulsive hyperactivity: these are a few of the ways in which the mind reacts to suffering and attempts to restrict or direct the natural compassio
We too often weight too many of our decisions using logic rather than our heart.
n of the heart.” (p. 64) To some extent, Dass has hit the nail on the head. For most intellects, the mind is the key to all knowledge, wisdom, and even happiness. For many scientific people, everything and everyone can be explained by means of logic and observation. However, just as we too often ignore the emotional intelligence, we also tend to ignore the callings of the heart. Our mind uses these distractions to hack away at our heart’s natural instincts. Dass also explains situations in which we cannot ameliorate the suffering of others. In these saddening situations, “we can only be, and be with the person in his or her pain, attending to the quality of our own consciousness.” (p. 88) I find this quote to serve as further evidence concerning the importance of empathy in dealing with suffering.
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