101-The inner critic - Buddhism in daily life

The inner critic


Many people call the voice in their head a critic who makes their
life difficult. For Buddhists, however, it is clear that this
critic is the ego, which constantly nags at us.


All day long the ego nags away, it stirs up worries and fears, it
criticizes us. In the Buddhist view, the ego is not a critic, but
a cause of our sufferings.


It is important (not only for Buddhists, by the way) to silence
the ego. Are you always comparing yourself with other people? Do
you nag, do you find fault with everything?


Do you end up even suffering from the nag that causes a slaughter
or two in your mind palace? Really every person loses an
incredible amount of energy to this "critic", did I do this
right, am I pretty enough, will I still have my livelihood
tomorrow, can I do this, do I know this?


We are sometimes very hard on ourselves, the "inner critic" can
be unfair. Do the challenges of life seem huge to you, is every
day a struggle?


What if you made peace with yourself? Would anything change?
Would it be noticed (except by those closest to you)?


I claim: NO


If you gain power over yourself, you can live in a much more
relaxed way, you are no longer in the tension of emotions. For my
part, I no longer care about this "inner critic", have turned off
the perpetual dialogue with the ego, no longer let myself be
thrown off track by self-doubt.


The voice in my head, what is that exactly? Is it an "inner
critic", or my ego?


According to the teacher of all teachers, it is the ego that can
create a lot of suffering in us. Evolution has given us thinking
to evaluate the necessities of existence, to make plans.


However, without limitations, this thinking easily overshoots
itself, starts to see dangers that do not exist. Then questions
arise that are completely useless, simply because thinking is set
up that way, always wanting to be busy.


This is where the teaching of Buddha comes in, who considered
this kind of thinking to be unhelpful, since such emotions are
based on impermanence, are not directed towards lasting things,
and cannot be.


Those who constantly criticize themselves feel bad, inadequate,
insufficient. Whoever starts to take the inner critic not so
seriously anymore, can finally let go. The endless stories that
the mind palace invents will for the most part never come true.


The way is the goal!





The forest is a special being, of unlimited goodness and
affection, which makes no demands and generously passes on the
products of its life's work; it offers protection to all
creatures and provides shade even to the woodcutter who destroys
it.


- Buddha - "The Enlightened One" - honorific name of Siddharta
Gautama - 560 to 480 B.c.





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