Thank you, Thomas!

Sincerely 💜 💛 💚

Dear James/ Everyone:

James- from what you shared most recently on the other thread (“I need someone to talk to”)- you are and have been on a mission here, on tiny buddha, to save people from themselves — specifically, from their ego.

The ego (“the devil within”) is pride, selfishness, fear, and the illusion of control. You believe ego is the true source of suffering. Heaven and hell as inner states, and suffering (hell) is self-created by the ego. Freedom is found in dropping ego. People being nice to each other- that’s spiritual laziness because it’s avoiding the hard work of self-honesty and surrender, it’s clinging to ego instead of awakening.

You say that death automatically destroys the ego, leaving nothing after death. No eternal soul. We return to where we came from: Nothingness. Essentially, you are saying there is no God— no external being, no eternal soul, no divine spark.

When the body and mind fall away, the ego cannot survive. It “burns” in the fire of reality. But if people wait until death, they miss the chance to awaken while alive= to transform consciously. They (we) will no longer have the opportunity to live in awareness, love, or freedom, but instead, we’ve spent our lives trapped in illusions, fear, and ego-driven suffering.

You’ve been urging people to experience the liberation of dropping the ego while alive and experience “heaven” (awareness, surrender, love) here and now. In simple words, you’ve been saying:

Death will strip away your ego (and there’ll be nothing left of you, no matter who you’ve been, it’s back to Nothing) whether you like it or not. But if you don’t surrender your ego while alive, you’ll waste your life in suffering and illusion.

You’ve been saying that real love is helping others face their illusions, not flattering them, that true compassion is about telling the truth as it is, it’s not about being nice or comforting people with sweet words. It’s about being brutally honest, even if it hurts. You tell us: Let go of fear, control, and the desire to be seen as “good.” Stop pretending.

You see “kind words,” compliments, emojis, and social niceties as fake masks. In your view, these are lies because they avoid truth and keep people comfortable in illusions. You believe most people act “good” outwardly but don’t live honestly inwardly — they avoid facing their ego.

You position yourself as truly good and loving because you refuse to flatter or comfort, you insists on telling the truth, even if it hurts, and because you see warning, confronting, and leading others to face their ego as the highest form of love.

Your love is not based on approval or niceness but on awakening. Most people fake goodness by being nice and polite, but that’s just ego and lies. You are “truly good” because you tell the hard truth, confronts illusions, and push people to face themselves — which you believe is real compassion and real love.

Your writing is intense, confrontational, and philosophical. I read that many mystics, philosophers, and spiritual teachers throughout history have spoken in ways that sound similar: uncompromising, urgent, and focused on ego as the enemy, but as I looked for their quotes, I didn’t find anyone as confrontational and harsh as you:

Francis Schaeffer (Christian philosopher): “Truth demands confrontation. It must be loving confrontation, but there must be confrontation nonetheless.”

Michael Bassey Johnson (modern mystic): “Don’t call anyone a devil, because within you, you can experience hell and the devil, and the devil is nothing but you!”

Rumi (Sufi poet): “Break your heart until it opens.”

Marcus Aurelius (Stoic emperor): “It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.”

Nietzsche (philosopher): “You must be ready to burn yourself in your own flame; how could you rise anew if you have not first become ashes?”

Your tone, James, is unusually hostile and uncompromising compared to other recorded voices (except for Nietzsche, right above). Most mystics and philosophers, even when they talk about ego and truth, use language that is sharp but not quite as confrontational:

In your posts, you accused people of lying, pretending to be good, you warned that if people don’t surrender now, they’ll be “burned” when death comes.. You sound harsher than Rumi, Eckhart, or Marcus Aurelius, who often spoke in poetic or reflective tones. You push further by combining mystical teaching with personal accusation.

You don’t just say “ego is the enemy” — you say: You are lying! You are fake! You will burn! That directness makes your words feel extreme compared to most philosophical texts, which usually generalize or use metaphor.

You are not alone in the content of your ideas (ego, truth, heaven/hell as states of mind), but you are unusual in the tone — more like a prophet or radical reformer than a contemplative mystic.

Throughout history, prophets, reformers, and revolutionaries used strong, uncompromising language to shake societies awake. Your tone conveys urgency (it’s life-or-death, now-or-never). That urgency can move people who are stuck, and you are speaking with absolute certainty, which might inspire respect or fear in some.

On the other hand, many people shut down when confronted harshly. A softer tone invites curiosity instead of defensiveness. Gentle guidance often builds trust and long-term change, whereas hostility can alienate. People often respond more deeply to kindness than accusation, especially in context of personal growth. For most people, a calmer reflective tone is more likely to reach the heart, build trust, and inspire lasting transformation.

James’s style (confrontational): Stop pretending to be good. Your kind words are lies. Ego is your devil, and it rules you. Heaven and hell are not after death — they are inside you now. If you don’t surrender, death will burn away your illusions, and nothing will remain. I love you more than those who flatter you, because I warn you. Face yourself before it’s too late.

Rumi’s style (reflective, poetic): Do not be satisfied with the sweetness of polite words. Look deeper, into the heart where ego hides. Heaven and hell are not distant lands, but the moods of your soul in this very breath. When you surrender, the fire of truth becomes light, not pain. Love is not comfort alone — it is the gentle hand that guides you to see yourself clearly. Break open the heart, and you will find freedom.

I agree with you in regard to what love is: seeing everyone and everything as your family, your child, yourself & giving away what matters most (like money- which I have done a lot, likely more than you ever did, James). What I disagree with is you expressing hostility in between “Dear” and “Peace”.

Also, I do believe in a soul that survives physical death, a divine spark, and from that spark, I say: I love you too, James. I mean it sincerely 🩵💛💚.

Anita

(Wow, Thomas- excellent reply!)

Dear Adalie:

Like Thomas said, it’s natural to feel hurt when rejected. I know that kind of hurt. I imagine everyone does.

You are not alone in how you feel, and you WILL feel better.

Anita

* Thank you so much, Thomas, for standing up for me. I am moved by your words more than I can say 🙏🙏🙏

James: I need time to answer you, so I’ll do so tomorrow morning. Please take good care of yourself!

Anita

Dear James:

You wrote: “Many of you here to say kind words or saying ah darling you are so good stuff or heart emojis stiff… But all is a lie.”-

I am 99.99% sure that you just called me a liar. Did you (I am asking because I have 0.01% hope that you didn’t.

You mentioned İmam Gazali. Abu Hamid Muhammad al-Ghazali was a renowned Muslim theologian who (so I read) often emphasized in his writings kindness, compassion, and gentleness as essential virtues. He wrote, for example: “Soft words soften hearts that are harder than rock, harsh words harden hearts that are softer than silk.”. Well.. James.. You disagree with Imam Gazali?

🤍 Anita

Dear Alessa:

I opened the link, scrolled down and this part got my attention:

“From birth until death, there are four major changes in people: childhood, youth, old age, death.

In childhood, your energy is unified and your will is whole; this is the epitome of harmony. Things do not affect it; no virtue is more than this.

In youth, blood energy overflows, you’re filled and aroused by desires and thoughts, and influenced by things, so virtue deteriorates.

In old age, desires and thoughts soften, the body tends toward rest; nothing gets ahead of you, and though not as complete as in childhood, compared to youth you are at ease.

As for death, that is going to rest, returning to the ultimate.”

Funny (not), my childhood 👧 was the opposite of “the epitome of harmony”. My youth 👩 was filled with desires only in the context of daydreaming (and I did a lot of that, it was pleasurable!), and in older age 👵 I get to be a child!

How is it for you?

Thank you for the link, Alessa 🙏

🤍 Anita