“….At one point I read a news story about a general census in Great Britain which four hundred thousand people identified their religion as “Jedi”, or among the light saber wielding characters in Star Wars. Okay I thought, that’s an ironic statement for some, but there must be plenty among those hundred of thousands who all to seriously think of themselves as enlightened crusaders battling the Dark Side of the Force.
The story about UK Jedis woke me up to something that was happening,unconsciously, in me. As I learned about wild-crafting,warrior presence, and compassion, and began to reduce my carbon footprint, consume more responsible, and eat fair,organic, and local food, my ego grew attached to the idea that I was becoming “more enlightened”.
Walking the aisles of the organic Adams Market, I looked around and saw what I might become: a holier – than – thou progressive, carving an identity niche out of being so darn responsible. I was actually, in many ways, trying to eliminate my individual ego identity through warrior presence. The trap, I was discovering, was that the fiction of the ego is replaced by an even heavier fiction: that of being a Jedi, a spiritual warrior, and enlightened being – and therefore better than those miserable people who are not. This is why so many supposed spiritual teachers have such big ego, they’ve fallen into this very trap of special-ness and are therefore not real teachers at all.
It’s high irony: building an ego out of the notion of having conquered it.”
From the book: 12 x 12 by William Powers
Thank you Carol Hart for this find
