Imagine I

Scott Bradley

Imagine having nothing to defend.

Imagine a heart of openness.

Imagine having a heart so open it does not close when told to imagine openness.

Imagine a heart so accepting that it can hear and learn from every voice.

Are you willing? Are you able?

I presume to use the imperative. And though I speak always to my self, I presume, too, to include you. What would it be like for you to be so free of ego that my ego did not cause yours to raise its walls? Imagine.

There was an early Christian 'heresy', effectively squelched, that held a man should not be a bishop if he was not an exemplary Christian. The Church, the bishops, maintained that no, the holiness was in the office, not the man; obey the office, not the man. Kiss the ring.

Happily free from hierarchical spiritual authority, we follow our own hearts and would only recognize an external authority if we were assured of its worthiness. A teacher, a guru, a sage — these are designations which must be earned in the estimation of the one that would submit to them. Perhaps you know of one; I do not.

Yet we need not close our hearts to each other, though we fail the test of sagacity. If we ourselves wish to grow in sagacity, we might begin here, in nurturing a heart that can open itself to the voices of those who are also not sages.

The only thing on Planet Earth which has a problem with an ego is another ego.

Only ego hates ego. Only ego is disturbed by ego.

Imagine being so open, so loosed from ego, that the egos of others raise not a ripple in the pool of your tranquil heart.

This is wisdom. And I echo it here. But that does not make me wise or loosed of ego.

You can check out Scott's other miscellaneous writings here.