Monday, July 26, 2010

Ego or Ego Sum?


He used terrible grammar,
didn’t he, when he
said ”Before Abraham was, I AM.”
Didn’t he?
They picked up rocks to stone
him but he walked away,
calmly.
Latin: “Ego sum.”
Or just sum because the
ego is understood.

Did Freud know that
when he named it with
Super I and Id?
The wizard lives in Id while
the rest of us are kings of Ego,
picking up our own rocks
to hurl, billions of atomized
egos, a deafening
cacophony of
preoccupation with self.

Ego has no purpose or
plan without I AM, and ego
knows that, of course,
bitterly,
as it knows it must
decrease and let
I AM increase.
Descartes had it wrong;
it should have been
he is therefore I am.

To see other posts on the topic of "ego," visit Bridget Chumbley's One Word Blog Carnival.

Photograph: The signs were sent by Nancy Rosback. Used with permission.

21 comments:

  1. "He is therefore I am"

    Dang, Glynn! Love that.

    I'm warming up to this poetry thing!

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  2. a deafening
    cacophony of
    preoccupation with self.



    i like the whole thing, and what it is saying.

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  3. Awesome! Another great one, Glynn.

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  4. As usual, you filled my head with twists and turns I'll need to think about. Thank you.

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  5. Glynn, this is an amazing post. I love the ending.

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  6. My favorite line: Ego has no purpose or plan without I AM

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  7. "Ego has no purpose or
    plan without I AM" - how true.

    This is an incredible post. Thanks for taking the time to write it Glynn. ...now don't let my comment go to your head! :)

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  8. Oh, this makes my head hurt, but the like the others, the last line brings it home.

    Psst...I would buy a t-shirt if you put that line on it. Or maybe I will just get a marker and write it out myself. ;-)

    Blessings.

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  9. Oooo, I loved, loved this!:

    "Ego has no purpose or
    plan without I AM, and ego
    knows that, of course,
    bitterly,
    as it knows it must
    decrease and let
    I AM increase."
    (Yep. On the same page!)

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  10. This one pierces. How is it we struggle so with this self? I try desperately to lay it down and up it pops again - demanding attention.
    It is a difficult lesson, this dying to self. To truly know "ego had no purpose without I Am" - that is the key.
    I'm printing this one out Glynn. Thank you.

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  11. Your poetry is always so thought provoking.

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  12. That is totally awesome...poetic truth...I loved it!

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  13. It's the title that got me.

    Loved it.

    Thanks for sharing.

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  14. Yes. Excellent good, especially that last part!

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  15. wow. this is really, really good stuff Glynn.

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  16. Those last three lines...wow. That's going to stick with me for sure.

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  17. wonderful, wonderful poem, Glynn. I wish I could somehow keep it...

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  18. He is. Therefore, I am.

    I stand in awe.

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