0 responses to “In truth, to understand us, we need to understand three souls that inhabit us – our primary identity, as a lot of research shows is compassion – children have loving compassionate hearts – then we develop a brain – by the age two, a human child surpasses a grown adult monkey – the smartest of the primates – and ironically, it is our very brain, that poses the most significant challenge to our hearts – for beneath the surface of both, lies an ego, an innate desire to be supreme (or at the very least not be shamed etc.) so whenever we can discover something, effectively like a leach, the ego will attach itself to our discovery, accomplishment etc. etc. – nowhere is this clearer written, than in how God takes a bunch of slaves, turns them into a kingdom of priests and a chosen holy nation – brings them into a land that they were banished from for hundreds of years – conquers their enemies – gives them a land flowing with milk and honey – and then “the Jews became fat, believing, ‘it was our power that created our success!’” – this and perhaps this alone, is our greatest challenge – for we all have desires – but what we don’t have is the ability to dissociate our ego from our successful desires – a child is generally humble, for they are aware of the dichotomy between what they want and have – an adult however hopefully has some measure of success and hence pretty much commensurate with how talented, successful etc. they become, is how badly their ego deludes them, as to how great they are – it is for this reason prayer, gratitude and perhaps even loss was invented – for only through saying thank-you, only through realizing, “you are the recipient not the master; the beneficiary not the philanthropist; the soldier not the commander-in-chief!” can your humility ensure that your compassion remains.”