The "Hard Mind" Self-criticism is the most perverse expression of our judgmental minds. We initially built a false identity through our judgements about and comparisons with others, and now we attack this false self-identity by judging ourselves. This leads to an Alice in Wonderland scenario. It is like a dog looking in the mirror and perceiving itself as a cat. However while engaged in the chase, it feels like a dog because chasing cat is what dogs do. Another part of the dog feels itself being chased. It feels that if it is being chased, it must be a cat. Each part identifies with the experience of chasing or being chased. That the chase is based on a magical mirror of illusions is not relevant, but that the chase is occurring at all infers substance. We judge others. This gives us a sense of self-identity. As long as we judge others, the self-identity--the "dog"--is substantiated because the judgement is like the chase. Once self-judging begins, the self-identity gets confused and begins to see itself as a "cat" because now it is being chased. The wonderland we live in accepts dogs chasing cats as a matter of fact; if we did not, our self-identity would immediately vanish. Self-judgement can lead to a belief that we are worthless because we always fall short when we judge ourselves. Just as something thought it was a cat because it was being chased, we think ourselves worthless because of the experience of constant self-criticism. Yet, the criticism may continue because the part criticizing also get identity, feeling like a dog because it is involved in a chase. This is the perversion of self-criticism.
Posted on: Mon, 02 Sep 2013 12:06:32 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015