21. The Pipe.

In 1929, René Magritte painted a pipe. Underneath it, he wrote:

Ceci n’est pas une pipe.

This is not a pipe.

Of course it wasn’t. It was a picture of a pipe.  The distinction seems obvious once it is pointed out; but less so when the picture is of ourselves, the one we carry around of ourselves:

Reasonable.

Kind.

Helpful.

Fair.

Well-intentioned.

HOWEVER, our intention does not equal experience.

“But that wasn’t what I meant.” 

How many times have we heard that? From ourselves; from others..

The trouble is, we only see things from where we stand:

Sometimes, that place is a pedestal.

Sometimes we defend it.

Sometimes we explain it.

Sometimes we become so occupied with proving what we intended, that we stop being curious about what was experienced.

We take up a position. And then we stand there. Resolute.

What is it like to be on the receiving end of me?

Ceci n’est pas moi.