Bringing Beauty To The World Around You

Continued from yesterday…

The ego pursues whatever validates and strengthens its sense of self — a pursuit that ultimately ends in suffering. On the other hand, love takes the gifts and talents that we have and expresses them in ways that bring others and ourselves joy and wholeness.

The point here, of course, is that culture has a pull on the ego, primarily wherever culture serves a prominent role within the family structure, or where there is a lack of affirmation, approval, and acceptance by parents or the systems in which we are raised.

Ultimately, whatever the ego pursues in an effort to gain the upper hand over others comes at a price. Specialness opposes oneness, and oneness is the ultimate design of love. The more we yield to the ego, therefore, the more we suffer from pain, conflict, and unrest. Furthermore, when our sense of identity is based on the ego’s achievement and success (or lack thereof), it moves us further away from awareness of the unconditional love that holds us all together.

On the other hand, when your identity is established in the union of love, then your talents and abilities become expressions of the divine in the world. From that perspective, you are no longer looking for prominence, but instead, you seek to participate in the union that we all share. Your gifts and skills are then used to bring the beauty of life to the world around you.

To be continued tomorrow…

Adapted from section 2 of Awakening To I Am Love by David Youngren