Ego is the problem -- that much we know.
But what exactly is so wrong with who you are that you need to get away from it?
The answer is that there is a world of difference between getting OUT of yourself and getting OVER yourself.
We all need to get over ourselves. That's surrendering the ego to G-d. But when we recover, we no longer need to get out of ourselves. That's just surrendering our senses to whatever stimulus makes us forget who we are for a while.
Does it matter what we use to distract ourselves? Whether it's the same chemical that brought each of us to his or her bottom? Or if we find other more socially acceptable means to get numb?
Getting out of yourself is indulgence. Getting over yourself is transcendence.
Getting out of yourself means using the world to drown out what you're feeling. Getting over yourself means relying on G-d to experience whatever is going on.
G-d is infinite and so are the heights to which we may climb in getting over ourselves. But recovery means that we never need to get out of ourselves again.
Thanks to Danny S. for the inspiration.
But what exactly is so wrong with who you are that you need to get away from it?
The answer is that there is a world of difference between getting OUT of yourself and getting OVER yourself.
We all need to get over ourselves. That's surrendering the ego to G-d. But when we recover, we no longer need to get out of ourselves. That's just surrendering our senses to whatever stimulus makes us forget who we are for a while.
Does it matter what we use to distract ourselves? Whether it's the same chemical that brought each of us to his or her bottom? Or if we find other more socially acceptable means to get numb?
Getting out of yourself is indulgence. Getting over yourself is transcendence.
Getting out of yourself means using the world to drown out what you're feeling. Getting over yourself means relying on G-d to experience whatever is going on.
G-d is infinite and so are the heights to which we may climb in getting over ourselves. But recovery means that we never need to get out of ourselves again.
Thanks to Danny S. for the inspiration.
Rabbi Shais Taub
Chasidic Thought
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