Then Fr John goes on to say that the problem with this self-consciousness, if we get stuck in the self-conscious state is that we are deluded, we are deceived, we fall into an illusion that what we see in the mirror is the real thing. St Paul says somewhere, ‘now I see as in a mirror darkly’ (I Cor 13:12), not clearly. But then he says, when self-consciousness has been transcended, when the mirror has been smashed, when we’ve gone through the mirror, then we will see things as a whole, we will see things as they really are. But until then, one of the major effects of self-consciousness is that we see or imagine everything revolving around myself. That is egotism, egocentricity, everything that happens is related to me, and I am the centre of the universe, and everything, everyone else is in some way the planet, or the satellite going around me. And John Main says this is a terrible state to be in, because it brings so much suffering.
( The Brick Wall of the Ego 1 by Laurence Freeman OSB )
