We can all limit the amount of fear we ingest regularly by controlling what we read, watch and who we socialise with. But, little attention is paid to the false-self we create which uses the projection of layers or roles portrayed for society so we can be admired, feared or loved.
This false-self, or a dominant egotistical identity, is built on fragile and unstable foundations, devoid of truth or personal expression. This is an existence of internal conflict for the imitator because internal conflict happens when heart intelligence, thoughts and actions are incompatible. This behavior eventually crumbles, which at first happens intermittently and finally more permanently, because it was never real in the first place. Pretense can never last. The pressure builds one false act at a time.
Modern society often wrongly translates false-self behaviour as courage and confidence, when in reality it is fear based, originating from a low self-esteem and the desire for attention.
I have been extremely fortunate to have trained and studied with real genuine modern warriors who have mastered fear and have no need for any false-self. What does real courage and confidence look like? Inner peace, compassion and true dignity forged through years of personal self-improvement and self-discipline.
The swaggering, flayed armed, aggressive man is not confident but actually living in fear. Intense fear. The bullying, shouting, ranting businessman or woman are also living in fear. This behavior is at the other end of the spectrum of courage and confidence and are manifestations of the false-self. Their actions speak of their inner conflict.
The false-self is a complete block to self-discovery and this includes true courage, peace, personal fulfilment and intelligence itself.
The false-self clouds how someone views their environment, how they view and treat everyone around them and even how they view the world itself.
A false-self can only give a false viewpoint back to itself.
The false-self likes to portray an image from a position of safety that will not expose or crumble it. But it dismantles from the inside out.
The false-self leaves the host feeling cheated and dirty. It suppresses its very soul to project someone else to the world. Throughout it all, the host suffers. It yearns for the truth but feels if it releases the false-self it will cease to exist.
But the opposite is true.
The false-self is a cage.
The false-self encourages separation not just from everyone around it, but from its own source. It is the shadow that wants to exist without the light from which it is projected.
The false-self lives in fear. It believes death is permanent so the pursuit of constant pleasure and attention is paramount.
The false-self loves consumerism. It’s says ‘ I am what I wear, I am what I drive, I am my possessions.’ Rather than just simply enjoying nice things the false-self identifies itself with them. It soon hates what it has, falling into the consumerism trap of needing the latest possessions. Reputation is everything.
The false-self hates spirituality. Any true self-development is dangerous to its existence.
The false-self eventually breaks its host through depression, jealousy, anger and illness. It is during this break the ego glimpses it’s own mortality and starts to disintegrate. The turning point … or possibly disaster.
Take heed anyone that considers themselves to have low levels of confidence and desires to expand your potential. You are sitting on a launch pad of powerful self-development.
You view the world and yourself without exaggerated delusion. It is the awareness of your own self that stops you creating a dominant false-self. Something inside says ‘I don’t want to be false.’ You recognise your weaknesses and have the desire to change them. You are consciously uncomfortable with certain aspects of yourself. This is good. Deep down you know you are capable of more. Elite athletes are propelled from this position, as are entrepreneurs and creators of all art and music.
The highly talented singer/songwriter Sam Smith recently won numerous Grammy awards and remarked in his speech how he tried everything to draw attention to his work without success but it wasn’t until he was true to himself, it flowed his way in abundance. There is no other way.
Search for your own truth and do not imitate.
Society needs real people more now than any other time.
Expand your potential through being real and being yourself.
This is brilliant as usual, it certainly gives you food for thought, there are so many people out here that should read this blog.
Well done Simon.
Thank you for your comment, much appreciated.
You’ve got an amazing way with words Simon! Excellent article thx.
Thank you Ed. All the best to you.