I, Sink Like A Stone
Egoism
is like trying to swim
without relying on the water,
endeavoring to keep afloat
by tugging
at your own legs;
your whole body becomes tense,
and you sink
like a
stone.
-Alan Watts
Egoism…
There are many untethered egos about these days. I think that capitalism as a way-of-life, breeds this illusion of the “self-made man or woman.” In the late 20th century many “best seller” self-help books were written by titans of business who could point to track records of success by leveraged buy-outs of companies which were then dismembered, sold off in pieces, and the employees given a pink slip. When money becomes the measure of all things as is bound to happen in a capitalist system, – that is what you get.
I do not wish to lapse into “name calling” implying that I occupy the moral high ground. I just think that raw egoism, the bombastic occupation of center stage, to the exclusion of one fellows is a regression to an infantile state. A child deserves the benefit of the doubt. With respect to an adult the behavior is simply ugly, boorish, silly pretense, raw vanity, conceit, and disdain for the rest of us.
We ought to just turn away.
