Woke . . .

. . . this morning to more notes in Thor’s mailbox:

Sesame Street first aired on PBS fifty-three years ago today in 1969.

“Adult onset of narcissism.” definition: a mind set of responsible self-interest that emerges after about fifty years of age. –after Linda Ronstadt

Life is a process of becoming, a combination of states we have to go through. Where people fail is that they wish to elect a state and remain in it. This is a kind of death. – Anaïs Nin See also

We put up protective walls made of opinions, prejudices, and strategies, barriers that are built on a deep fear of being hurt. These walls are further fortified by emotions of all kinds: anger, craving, indifference, jealousy and envy, arrogance and pride. But fortunately for us, the soft spot—our innate ability to love and to care about things—is like a crack in these walls . . . This is what it means to be “woke” which some fear in an attempt to shore up those walls. With practice we can learn to seize that vulnerable moment: Out of loneliness, embarrassment, and inadequacy — love, and gratitude emerge. — after Pema Chödrön

The point isn’t to deny the Ego but to extricate ourselves from our exclusive preoccupation with it.