Esoterica > The Work
Don Juan & "The Enemies of a Man of Knowledge"
bedower:
It seems to me JohnnyRadar, that you have offered up the solution to this in your post; namely, that until we have completed our quest we are a composite of many little 'i's and should refer to ourself as such.
So i think perhaps this is what i'll do from now on; write with a small i. This way, whichever little i that is writing whatever it is will be covered. A little i certainly seems less ego-centric, osit.
The next problem will be trying to break a lifetime's habit of always writing correct grammar; i.e. the first person pronoun is always a capital letter! :lol:
Oh well... :cool2:
Belibaste:
--- Quote from: bedower on October 01, 2008, 08:41:52 PM ---It seems to me JohnnyRadar, that you have offered up the solution to this in your post; namely, that until we have completed our quest we are a composite of many little 'i's and should refer to ourself as such.
--- End quote ---
Most forumites know about the composite nature of each of us. So even when one uses "I" it is perceived for what it is : an heterogeneous mix of little "i"s
--- Quote ---So i think perhaps this is what i'll do from now on; write with a small i. This way, whichever little i that is writing whatever it is will be covered.
--- End quote ---
So you might want to change the first sentence of your signature ;)
--- Quote ---A little i certainly seems less egocentric, osit.
--- End quote ---
I'm not sure little "i" or cap "I" are ego centric per se.
Maybe it's more the way they are used that will give them or not an ego centric taste.
If a forumite writes through external consideration, he might use cap "I" though his post won't be perceived as ego centric.
On the other side if a forumite write a post full of inner consideration, even if he only uses small "i" his posts will be perceived as an ego centric message.
agni:
Besides, how would you go about other languages ? :) I could be wrong, but isn't capitalization of i's a feature of English language only ?
Jerry:
--- Quote from: bedower posted Yesterday at 10:00:24 AM EST --- When does the use of the big 'I' leak over into self-importance?
--- End quote ---
Importance is a term used when an assessment is made, a priority is implied. Things are perceived as "more" or "less" relative to each other. Self-importance then, is the measuring of self (however it is perceived to be) relative to anything other. One should not confuse self with self-importance.
It is treated as an attitude: (emphases mine)
--- Quote from: A Separate Reality ---"Feeling important makes one heavy, clumsy and vain. To be a warrior one needs to be light and fluid."
"(A man of knowledge) knows that his life will be over altogether too soon; he knows that he, as well as everybody else, is not going anywhere; he knows, because he sees, that nothing is more important than anything else. In other words, a man of knowledge has no honor, no dignity, no family, no name, no country, but only life to be lived, and under these circumstances his only tie to his fellow men is his controlled folly. Thus a man of knowledge endeavors, and sweats, and puffs, and if one looks at him he is just like any ordinary man, except that the folly of his life is under control. Nothing being more important than anything else, a man of knowledge chooses any act, and acts it out as if it matters to him. "
"An average man is too concerned with liking people or with being liked himself. A warrior likes, that's all. He likes whatever or whomever he wants, for the hell of it."
--- End quote ---
--- Quote from: Tales of Power ---"The self-confidence of the warrior is not the self-confidence of the average man. The average man seeks certainty in the eyes of the onlooker and calls that self-confidence. The warrior seeks impeccability in his own eyes and calls that humbleness. The average man is hooked to his fellow men, while the warrior is hooked only to infinity."
"The humbleness of a warrior is not the humbleness of the beggar. The warrior lowers his head to no one, but at the same time, he doesn't permit anyone to lower his head to him."
--- End quote ---
--- Quote from: G.I.Gurdjieff, September 1941, from Question de Gurdjieff by Albin Michel ---"You believe that all things are due to you, only because it's you! All your blindness is there."
"You live only between 'I like it' and 'I don't like it'. Which means that you have appreciation only for yourself."
"The first demand, the first condition, the first test for he who wants to work on himself is to change his appreciation of himself."
--- End quote ---
--- Quote ---How can we respond with our necessarily subjective assessments without using that big 'I' all the time?
--- End quote ---
This seems to be unnecessary and inhibiting. It's like trying to assess one "little I" over another one.
bedower:
Points taken, everyone, and thank you all for your clarifications. :)
--- Quote --- Most forumites know about the composite nature of each of us. So even when one uses "I" it is perceived for what it is : an heterogeneous mix of little "i"s
--- End quote ---
Thanks, Belibaste; the composite 'i' I have learnt a lot about since being on the forum. But I didn't know about the capital 'I' in a post being perceived as a heterogeneous mix of the little 'i's by other forumites. Thanks for enlightening me. So, there is no need now to change the first sentence of my signature, which I think is correct anyway, as it's the self-important 'I' that needs to learn! osit.
--- Quote --- Besides, how would you go about other languages ? I could be wrong, but isn't capitalization of i's a feature of English language only ?
--- End quote ---
Off the top of my head, Agni, I think you are right about that. What I wrote wasn't meant to confuse or exclude other forumites; it was just something I felt more subjectively at ease with. Thanks for your gentle reminder. ;)
Thanks for those reflective quotes, Mountain Crown. I think I can see the difference now.
So, back to Work...
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