In this lecture, Amir speaks about envy, privilege and poverty, self-awareness, and aggression.
We experience envy when we realize we are poor in something—and another is rich in it—and we desire what that other has.
What we need in order to change is to become so disgusted with the way we are, that this forces observation and reflection.
There are many kinds of privilege and poverty: physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual. One could be rich in one form and poor in others.
There are many reasons for self-sabotage. One may, out of fear or envy, choose the things that will hinder one’s growth. The only way to get rid of anything we don’t like about ourselves, whether self-sabotage or any other negative trait, is to get rid of the old habits, the old software—but this can only happen with the right support system on the outside.
Even if we see the cracks within, that doesn’t mean we can apply what we know in order to change. We may have glimpses of who we are, but only a continuous self-examination, which is very painful, can bring change.
In the gospels, it is said, “knock and the door will be opened.”
Human beings desire to be happy—we don’t like pain. We pray that when we knock on a door, something good will be behind it.
Given our laziness as human beings, the only things that pushes us to change, is pain. Since we have no choice but to be in some form of pain in life—then we must ask what sort of pain would we rather have—the pain of ignorance, or the pain of understanding?
It is much better to knock on the door of Malcolm X than Snoop Dogg.
One of the reasons we suffer from boredom, perhaps, is because of privilege. When there are too many choices, nothing is good enough.
