Deluded Thinking: The Lies We Believe
We will begin with deluded thinking, the deepest cause of human emotional pain. Deluded thinking, the root cause of all emotional suffering, is represented by the roots of the weed.
The definition of “Deluded Thinking”, for purposes of this book is: Thinking that does not accord with reality, and does not accord with the way Jesus thinks. We will refer to any such deluded thoughts as “lies” and eventually contrast them with “ Truth”, the roots of the flower.
The average human being believes hundreds of lies to be true. Fortunately, for purposes of exposition, these lies tend to group together in three bunches, which make up the “False Self”, the deepest clump of roots in the weed.
The “False Self”: A Mass of Deluded Thinking
I AM:
- What I have
- What I do
- What other people think of me
The “False Self”: What I Have
The false self over identifies with what it has, and confuses “What it has with “who I am.”
The false over identifies with the body, thinking “I am young”, “ I am old”, “I am middle—aged”, “I am pretty”, “I am ugly”, “I am tall,” “I am short, and all the rest.
The false self over identifies with the money and possessions it has. “I am rich”, “I am poor”, “I am middle class”, “I live in the big house/small house/no house at all”, I drive a Chevy/Ford/Prius”, “I wear stylish clothes/simple clothes/tattered clothes.”
The false self over identifies with the various relationships it has. “ I am a son/daughter/wife/husband/partner/father/mother/sister/brother/friend/enemy.
The false self over identifies with its occupation or profession. “I am a doctor, barber, construction worker, housewife/house husband.”
The false self over identifies with country of origin, religious affiliations, and other group affiliations. “I am an Italian American/African American/Hispanic American.” “I am Protestant/Catholic/Jewish/Muslim/Agnostic/Atheist.” “I am a member of a bridge club/country club/Poker group/motorcycle gang.”
In summary, the first part of the false self is the many lies that say, “I am all the things I have.” While we all have many of the things mentioned above, it is important to realize these things are not who we are.
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