The nearest term I associate with self importance is ego.
However, self importance is more ubiquitous than we all think.
But how can we observe this self importance in our daily lives,
both outwardly and inwardly. We instinctively measure the task at
hand in relevance to our importance.
There is this phrase from Zen practice, " Before
enlightenment,chop wood, carry water, after enlightenment, chop
wood, carry water". I would like to welcome Zen practitioners
to further elucidate on the subtler points which I may have
missed.
Outwardly or inwardly, the manifestations of self importance are
mainly reluctance, avoidance and impatience in doing the immediate
task at hand, Each time, when we or others are tasked with doing a
mundane task, well, maybe not chop wood or carry water, for most of
us do not really need to chop wood for cooking, and we also have
the tap handy around us. Chopping could be quite a novel experience
for us to be mundane and boring!
Perhaps maybe it is the doing of daily household chores like
washing the dishes or sweeping the floors, or vacuuming the floors.
Or something as simple switching of the power or flushing the
toilet.
These are pretty simple things and yet, we are reluctant to do
them. Why, simply because these deemed are too simple,
mundane boring thing which do not warrant our effort or presence.
This is what I mean as SELF IMPORTANCE, with capital letters .
Whether we are delegated or delegating, whenever we or others
often feel these task are not important, unchallenging, an abuse of
our talents, it is therefore a waste of our time. We simply do not
think it is an efficient use of our abilities. Perhaps, in the
office, the mundane clerical or manual work which is a misuse of
our talents. Given enough of any these tasks may eventually build
up resentment within us. I remember when I was an instructor, one
of my student, who was in a supervisory position, seething in anger
when I ask her to sweep the floors. She lodge a complaint with our
principal. Or maybe, for some of you out there, you may have
worked with jaded teenagers to do simple tasks, more melodrama, for
their reactions being more extreme. Now, maybe you understand
what I meant!
Whenever we project ourselves as being more important for the
task at hand, we build impatience, we build resentment, we avoid
doing it. This the bane having self importance and if we do not get
promoted, either in our personal life or working one, we feel
trapped and shackled. For we aspire so much of ourselves, but
through our expectations of self importance, we make ourselves very
unhappy.
I am sure we have heard of mindfulness, but very often, we
reserve our utmost attention to what we deemed important. Very
often, we manage to get 90% of our mission done right, only to
screw ourselves up by the 10% in small details. We blame things out
of our control, our scope. But screw up enough times, which
deflating for the ego, you should have realise where the problems
lies. Simply put, we are not patient enough!
However, we are very lucky as Buddhist, be given the important
teaching of mindfulness, in another word, vigilance and then
of course, calm abiding, which with mindfulness, works in tandem.
One teaches us to focus, the other help improve and sustain this
focus.
Our focus or mindfulness varies, depending on how distracted we
are. But that is also a quality of our consciousness we can
observe to better ourselves. Our concentration is not the same
everyday. If you do enough of a task everyday, you will know same
task every different day is a different experience.
But how can this be so, you ask? First, if you, for the first
time, put your utmost mind, there is a lifting of aversion. You no
longer abhorr doing unimportant things, not all the time, anyway,
for what you are doing is now not deemed a waste of time. You do
not procrastinate and leave things undone until the last
minute possible, then rushing to finish as fast as possible. Things
do not seemed that boring or unimportant now , simply because you
are being mindful. However, if we do constantly hold that
mindfulness, we also observe the waxing and waning of the
concentration in that same task.
But why is this important? Well, when we are being mindful,
thoughts comes, and thoughts go, specifically negative emotions
which colour our present and future thoughts and actions. Then
comes the effectiveness in any task at hand, as we do not gloss
over "minor" details too "unimportant". Everything is now
important, you simply do not skip attention! Put it in another way,
there is an immediacy but no urgency. You have better staying power
to complete your task, and you no longer feel so drained as before.
You seem to breathe easy while working. And that 10% that takes 90%
of your time now seems less effortless and rate of mistakes
eventually goes down. Also there is that non unpleasant sensation
of simply giving your most, being here, doing this. Of the
last sentence, I am sorry I am unable to put in better terms. And
all these, is while we are going about our lives, not in some
sitting meditation.
Not attaching self importance make us more effective, calming
and very content. This contentment comes being yourself and
accepting your situation.
These are just some of my thoughts. Perhaps someone else would
to share a their take on things.
