“Complaining is one of the ego’s favorite strategies for strengthening itself. Every complaint is a little story the mind makes up that you completely believe in. Whether you complain aloud or only in thought makes no difference.” – Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth (pg 61)
I would have sworn I’d written about Eckhart Tolle before now. He is, after all, a prolific author! His book, The Power of Now, was a NYT Bestseller and (let’s face it) the title alone is one of those that immediately sounds familiar to *every*one, whether they’ve read his books or not!
A New Earth may not have reached NYT Bestseller status but it had something else that’s just as good – if not better. It has that little sticker that says, “Oprah’s Book Club”. In fact, Winfrey and Tolle did a 10-part series on the book. (Here is a link to the first in the series)
The purpose of the book, as stated in Chapter 1 is many-faceted, which is a good description (*patting myself on the back*) because Tolle compares us to crystals and precious stones as he asks if we can become “Transparent to the light of consciousness”.
At one point in the chapter, he makes a bold proclamation: It will change your state of consciousness or it will be meaningless.
Wowsers, right? Bold, indeed. With a little dash of bloating? Maybe. <<< I mention this because I would be remiss not to mention a large swath of people who think Eckhart Tolle is… perhaps, inconsistent… to… well… overrated. In my research, I found this thoughtful criticism, should you wish to consider it.
The book is filled with ideas as simple as, “Anything that you resent and strongly react to in another is also in you” and “You have so much to learn from your enemies” …
… to beautiful prose like, “With stillness comes the benediction of peace” and “Even a stone, and more easily a flower or a bird, could show you the way back to God, to the Source, to yourself. When you look at it or hold it & let it be without imposing a word of mental label on it, a sense of awe, of wonder, arises within you. Its essence silently communicates itself to you and reflects your own essence back to you.” <<< I found myself breathing, “Ah…” as I read this.
This book offers thoughts about the world we live in – from personal spirituality to mass media and everything in between. It was timely enough when it was written in the early 2000s. It’s even more-so now. I especially resonate with the notion that the negativity in the news is turning us into … well… negative people who in turn have issues with taking care of our bodies, minds, families, communities and the world. <<< And now we are back to the crux: A New Earth.
In closing, I’d like to get back to the quote that opened this blog post, about complaining. It jumped out at me. I’ve written about the subject a few times. My favorite post was about a book called, “A Complaint Free World.” I truly believe what those wiser (than I) have to say about it.
Complaining is a poison.
I know this and I try not to do it… and fail miserably and often. What’s not to complain about when I’m stuck at home a year after this pandemic began, away from my family in another country, no job, no money…. uh…. damn. I’m doing it again, aren’t I?
I believe that THIS above all things is what holds us down. I know it does ME.
News media thrives on it. Even our local news that used to have stories about community outreach and fluffy bunnies – upbeat stuff. Well, okay, maybe not that floofy but surely, you get my meaning.
The world can be a sick, scary and downright dangerous place. We *know* this. We don’t need to be reminded 24/7.
What is it that makes it so appealing? Well, Tolle tells us in the quote, doesn’t he?
It makes the ego strengthen itself.
Is that true? You know it is! I sure do!!
What better to fall back on when we don’t want to take responsibility?
Life is hard. People are scary. Nothing good is as it seems – there is always a price to pay. Trust nobody.
Oops, sorry, got carried away there.
My point is…
Once again, I find myself among the pages of a book… and this is a good one to be mired in… for sure.
This book is a keeper!
I don’t normally share this many videos because of course, I want you to read the books. But I found so many good ones that I couldn’t NOT share. So, sue me. LOL Also, buy the book. There! I’ve done my duty!
The Self-Help Whisperer® 
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