correction: “thank you for addressing me… “

Hello Everyone:

James, Dec 2: “Dear Thomas, I am sorry, but you should stop lying to yourself. Best Regards”- This is the first moment where the tone shifts from a philosophical debate to something more personal. Calling someone a liar, even indirectly, can come across as rude or dismissive, because it questions the other person’s honesty rather than just their ideas.

Thomas, Dec 2: “Dear James, Sadly, I am sorry that you believe your own lies. Best regards”- so both of you at this point questioned each other’s honesty, but cloaked it in “Dear” and “Best regards”.

Fast forward 3 days, James, today: “Dear Thomas, As I told forget about me and what I do. Evaluate your life that are you happy or not.
There is path showing you, if you like walk or just talk. Peace.”- essentially saying stop focusing on me, look at yourself instead.

And Thomas replied: “Yes, I will do as you say. Take your advice. I will forget about you and what you do.”- mirroring James’s words but not bothering at this point with “Dear” and “Peace”.

Both of you, James and Thomas, talk about reducing ego, but your exchange shows how tricky that actually is in practice. I can see that both of you are genuinely trying to share your truth, but ego crept in..

James’s ego- at times, you slipped into judgment—telling Thomas he is “lying to himself” or “suffering.” That shows your ego is still involved, because you’re positioning yourself as the one who sees truth more clearly. Your words sometimes carried defensiveness, as if you needed to correct Thomas, even while signing off with “Peace.”

Thomas’s ego- you speak about enlightenment, emptiness, and dropping the mind, but in reality, you challenged James directly, sometimes dismissing his views (“you believe your own lies,” “show me your spirit”). That’s ego asserting itself—wanting to win the debate or prove superiority. Your ego shows up in confrontation and in the need to test or invalidate James’s perspective.

Overall- Both are aware of the ego and talk about minimizing it, yet both let ego slip into your words—through judgment, defensiveness, or dismissiveness.

In a way, your exchange is a perfect example of how ego hides inside even spiritual discussions: the moment we feel the need to prove, correct, or win, ego is at play.

If you truly want “as little ego as possible,” the path would be to share your views without labeling or judging the other—letting differences stand, and ending with genuine peace rather than peace mixed with dismissal.

James, you started the thread quoting Paramhansa Yogananda. Here are some quotes that could help you and Thomas to embody peace, instead of slipping into personal judgments:

“Kindness is the light that dissolves all walls between souls, families, and nations.”

“Change yourself and you have done your part in changing the world.”

“Let my soul smile through my heart and my heart smile through my eyes, that I may scatter rich smiles in sad hearts.”.

“Do your best and then relax. Let things go on in a natural way, rather than force them.”

The quote from Paramhansa Yogananda that stands out the most for me today is this one: “Freedom means the power to act by soul guidance, not by the compulsions of desires and habits. Obeying the soul brings freedom; obeying the ego brings bondage.”-

* Soul is a person’s eternal, timeless, indestructible identity, distinct from the ego, thoughts, and physical body. It is a fragment of God, or as Peter prefers, a fragment of The Source.

Peter: “When I think of ‘God’ as a verb, the word Flow comes to mind. We can resist what is, or we can lean into it with a kind of healthy detachment”.

James: “İf you are good (less ego) God shines trough you”.

This thread has helped me see more clearly what ego looks like in practice. My own resolution—perhaps a New Year’s resolution—is to minimize ego in every way possible. Thank you, James and Thomas, for making that lesson vivid.

🤍 Anita

Dear James:

I hear your conviction about Truth and the path being difficult. I see that for you, straightforwardness is part of how you express it.
For me, i have learned and keep learning, kindness feels most real when it uplifts without judgment.

We may walk different paths, but both are seeking the same light. May your “Peace” be as full as your Truth.

🤍 Anita

Dear James:

I appreciate the Sufi story you shared. My understanding of Sufi stories is that they are symbolic (not to be taken literally) and that exaggeration element is meant to make them memorable and forces reflection.

But the takeaway is not “go do this exact thing,” it’s “be willing to let go of pride and accept humility.” The master’s instruction wasn’t about humiliation, but about teaching the student the principle of letting go of pride and attachment to social image.

In that sense, the lesson is about humility rather than bluntness, isn’t it?

Peace, Anita

Dear James:

I have a question for you about something I’m struggling with this very morning (I’ve been sharing about it in my own thread), it’s about other people’s greed, the rich taking from the poor so to get richer, and I’m being the victim of that- Is there something about my ego that needs to be addressed?

Thank you, James. I was afraid you will not bother answering me. But you did.. because you have a heart!

I’ve been up for most of the night, troubled. But now (late morning), I’ll try to get some much needed sleep, and the last thought I’d have while closing my eyes, will be “leave the outcome to God, “Tie your Camel and trust in Allah.”-

THANK YOU, James.

Peace.