Tag Archives: costumes

THE EGO IS AN ACTOR

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The ego is an actor
With a chest full of costumes suitable for playing its various roles.

A “true self,” however, will put away all those costumes
And become no one –
With no roles, no desire to manipulate others,
And, of course, not much power or riches either.

The ego is an actor
Playing to an audience of one – and sometimes many –
But, primarily, manipulates itself
In the vain hope of, one day, overcoming the world.

The “no self” is spontaneous –
Empty of everything except for joy,
But, certainly, overflowing with that!

The ego carries out the roles
That family and friends recognize –
And never, ever, forgets the specific part it’s supposed to play.

A lifetime passes
During which we’re regularly fed, entertained, and comforted –
But this type of quotidian ego can never reflect the person we really could have been –
That is, someone who solely serves God –
And whose real name is “Freedom.”

EVERYTHING IN ITS RIGHTFUL PLACE

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The trouble with costume parties –
Especially Halloween ones –
Is that we already wear costumes every day.

For us, the world’s a stage –
With set pieces –
Produced for family, work, and friends.

We always play “ourselves” of course,
But, as director, we’re
Capable, at a moment’s notice,
Of changing script, actors, location,
And even meaning.

We do this faster than eye can follow –
Faster than memory encodes –
And it’s a seamless entertainment –
Performed for an audience of one.

We find ourselves living inside our own movie –
A production of hope, pathos and tragedy –

But we can never touch it
Since nothing produced in this manner will ever be fully real.

Instead, we hold life close, like a secret deck of cards,
And postpone true reality
Until the moment after death –

So, for now, everything can appear – so far as the world’s concerned – to be
In its rightful place.