The Looking Glass

Philosophy has a tendency to cause some people to re-examine themselves and their perspectives. I am one of those people who take the time to put the ant of their lives under the magnifying glass with a wicked chuckle. *I* as it is often said has been the one pronoun to cause the most problems. How many hours spent saying "*I* need to be more_____" or "*I* could have done that better" or "*I* know this better than they do." Does existence require the use of *I* in defining the world? Was Sartre right in saying existence precedes essence? Was Descartes on target when he said "I think therefore I am?" Both of those statements require the pronoun *I*, but can a day be spent without using it? What kind of perspective would ensue? In Buddhism, the concept of *I* or the ego is that which is what holds a person to the material world; perhaps Buddha was right...perhaps he wasn't. The pride, the selfish anxiety, the arrogance of belief or zeal all seem to lose any force without the infamous *I*. It may not be possible to lose that sense of self completely...but *I* am willing to give it a spin for one day.