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Over the last weekend I - Jay - ( Dozent ) flew to Graz to finally meet with my Austrian friend Ernst( Jurist im Bereich Umweltschutz ) and my German friend Rainer ( General Konsul der Bundesrepublik Deutschland ) - it was a reunion of three "oldies" who originally had first met in the Fall of 1969 at the University Aix - Marseille in Aix-en-Provence.
I hadn't seen Ernst for about 37 years - and he and Rainer had said good-bye to each other almost 38 years ago.It was through the Internet that we rediscovered each other in 2007.Now about almost a year later Ernst warmly welcomed us at the regional airport of his home town.We shared nice memories and enjoyed an uplifting reunion.
The purpose of this entry,however,is not to reflect about our special weekend in Graz as an event - but rather to become clear what my present spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle and others before him advise about how to deal with one's life story or "the story of me"....we all have a story ( Dozent;Jurist;General Konsul ) and most of us seem to derive our sense of who we are from the contents of our individual story.... I certainly did and it was easy because my life story has been a rather positive story and I get positive strokes when I talk about its highlights...so up to now I saw nothing "wrong" in equating the "story of me" with my own identity.....those experiences are mine,they helped to create and shape the person I am today - I thought they made up my personal beingness...
Now I am learning that there is nothing more beautiful than a failed human story - yes dear students: a failed story.....because a failed story makes it much less appealing to cling to it - easier to let go of it, to not even try to derive a sense of self from that failure....well although mine wasn't a failure I nevertheless are invited to let go of it and to look elsewhere for my true self - for the underlying essence,for the consciousness out of which my "story" has unfolded.
It makes sense to me for I trust that a far greater intelligence arises out of that formless consciousness than the world of forms could ever produce ......like our trip to Graz, our professions or a successful Abitur etc. etc.
I will shortly try to relate these insights to my students by discussing Karsten's second posting - and in the meantime you are invited to click on his link for that text.
