You, Whoever You Are
People often ask me, What is the self? What is it that actually evolves? And I always answer, It’s you, whoever you are. I don’t just mean your ego or personality. But what I’m pointing to is the fact that beneath all of that there is some essential core of selfhood or agency that is making choices. If you want to become an evolutionarily enlightened human being, your ability to succeed depends upon accepting the simple fact that you are the one who is making the choices. You are the chooser. That sounds like a simple statement, but it’s amazing how many intelligent people will deny it. If you look honestly for yourself, however, you will see that it is true: You are always choosing. Maybe you are not always conscious of this fact, but every time you act or react, at some level a choice is being made. And you, whoever you are, are the one who is making it. Who else could it be?
--Andrew Cohen
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