UKC

So.. I read the rock warriors way quite a while ago and though i found some of it a bit too "at one with the rock" to sit well with my climbing I did however find the thought of the "thousand headed dragon" (ego) fascinating and very insightful into my own habits and lifestyle, i have been taking small steps to rid myself of uneccesarry ego where i can and find it avery rewarding though very difficult experience. I would love to read more about it and take it further.

So im basically wondering if any UKCers have taken the idea further and read more into it? are there any good books etc that you came across?

I just came across this video on youtube which re-sparked my interest as it basically explains my habits down to a tee!

youtube.com/watch?v=hbj4nLOPN8o&

In reply to OliBangbala:

Written by the guy in the video:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/New-Earth-Create-Better-Life/dp/0141039418
I have a copy but not read it yet.

In reply to OliBangbala: Rock Warriors Way is a great book Oli, I've read it a couple of times, will most likely read it again. For the ego stuff, get a book on Buddhism, can't remember any specific titles unfortunately.

Mathew.

In reply to hokkyokusei: I really wouldn't waste your time with Tolle, imo he's another self help guru masked as a philosopher.

In summary - We all have negative thoughts sometimes, they can be self fulfilling, our thoughts and identity are framed by the past, our thoughts make up our ego, therefore we should abandon the ego, step back from our thoughts and let fate direct our hand to the promised land.

Apparently you can't just say "don't dwell so much on the bad stuff" without writing a book promising a new dawn and a new life of spiritual enlightenment.

All self help books start the same way, they lure you in like astrologists, but instead of saying "Oh it's someone called Jason, no Jack, no, John, yes that's it" they lure you with a phrase or a thought that makes you think, "omg that is so me". In Tolle's case it's the "I'm so bad at everything/bad things always happen to me" type of phrases. We've all been there and he knows that. It's human nature to want more, someone understands you, so you read on, you find other nuggets that make you feel less alone, so you read on more and it's easy to ignore the lack of logical argument and before you know it you're converted.

The conclusion should be something simple like don't be an arrogant dick and don't let the shit get you down, but no self help book ends like that, they always end with enlightenment.

In reply to Sharp: Sound. Ever thought about writing a book?

In reply to OliBangbala:

Watched about 2 minutes of that before I gave up. Sounds like a lot of guff.

A big ego is key to 99% of people who achieve any worthwhile degree of success imho.

In reply to GridNorth:

What, something like "Becoming free from self help books, the 5 step plan: let Dr Sharp guide you on your journey of self discovery...your way."

Probably best do a wee commercial with an overly enthusiastic actor saying, "I used to have a bookshelf full of self help books, now with the 5 step plan I've changed my life and freed up valuable storage space."

In reply to Sharp: I can see the infomercial now, you just need to find an annoying American to present it.

In reply to SARS:

Not everyone's idea of success is the same. Personally, I regard the kind of success that requires a big ego to achieve to be vapid.

As for excelling at something athletic, I suspect that dedication and firm self-confidence justified through critical self-analysis of performance is much more helpful than having a big ego.

That doesn't mean I'm a hippy in search of some wishy-washy spiritual enlightenment instead of the sane things in life like good relationships, comfort, meaningful work and control over my time. But these things do not require a big ego to achieve. Indeed, being modest will be far more helpful.

In reply to Jon Stewart:

The world needs big egos and the brilliance that often accompanies it. Take Issac Newton, by many accounts a pretty awful person with a huge ego to boot. Where would the world be without him though?

If everyone wanted a simple, comfortable life I'm not sure humanity would move forward at any speed.

In reply to SARS:

I just don't think there's any reason to believe that his objectionable personality contributed to his genius as a physicist. Einstein was a lovely bloke.


I think that progress is made by talent, not by egos, and where they occur togther, that's merely to do with statistics: some people with talent are also pricks.

In reply to Jon Stewart:

I don't agree with you, but it's anecdotal. Would be interesting to see some research showing either way.

In reply to Jon Stewart:


Talent and directed application. Sorry to be picky. I think ego may sometimes help, but it's not vital and not a particular characteristic I wish to nurture for the sake of personal progress.

In reply to SARS:
i see your newton, and raise you a tim berners lee.

In reply to OliBangbala:

i have been taking small steps to rid myself of uneccesarry ego where i can and find it avery rewarding though very difficult experience.

...more ego

read some Krishnamurphy if you want your swede blowing

I think it all boils down to creating a nation of compliant little space monkeys to do the king/pope/leaders bidding. As SARS stated - no ego no human or indeed personal progress.

D

In reply to SARS: Did the world really need Isaac Newton? Where would we be, maybe in a better place, maybe a worse place, who knows.

In reply to OliBangbala:

I found tolle's power of now book really powerful at a tough stage in my life, and even refer to it on occasion now to remind myself of the very positive lessons he teaches.

I have always found climbing itself sits very well with those lessons, or perhaps vice versa!

In reply to SARS:

Your first sentence explains the nonsense in your last.
Seriously dude open your mind.

In reply to OliBangbala:
Secret tactics - lessons from the grand masters.
This is a book everybody should read.
Not just one persons veiw that can be argued over until the day dot. This is a concensus of thought from some extremely knowledgeable people who have dedicated their whole lives to becoming something they aren't yet.
If you want more books to read then simply look at the list in the book he recommends, these books are basically his sources.