Choice

Jean Klein made a statement that fascinated me when I first encountered it.

He said that, whenever choice was in the picture, the ego was involved.

He said that, when the ego stepped aside, there was no choice.

He used the example of a tightrope walker. He said that a tightrope walker never wondered if he should step to the left or to the right.

He said that a person who was Conscious, who was not motivated by the ego, was as clear about the appropriateness of his action as a tightrope walker was about his next step.

I have not yet stepped over that threshold where I am living in Consciousness.

For me there often is doubt about what to do next.

But what I am finding is that I am intervening less and less.

More and more, I am letting things unfold naturally.

I am less inclined to try to rescue situations, to try to persuade people about what they should do, to make decisions on behalf of others, etc.

Since reading Klein's statement about choice, I've noticed the occasions on which I've been faced with choices. I've acknowledged that ego has been involved.

Then I've asked, "Why do I have to decide now?"

More often than not, the answer has been, "I don't have to decide now."

By the way, there is one little qualification to all this.

I don't think Klein was talking about inconsequential decisions, like what flavour of herbal tea to drink. Yes, when I look at my tea containers, I do sometimes ponder, "Will it be mint or chamomile?" At that moment there is a choice, but it's very brief. I just shrug and say, "Well, I had mint last time, so I'll change things up a bit and have chamomile this time."