Mister and the Oily Self

Lina and I have been trying to take steps to be healthier...like smoking all organic fair trade tobacco. Only joshing.

Seriously, drinking filtered water, eating more organic vegetables, cutting out artificial sweeteners, cleaning and disinfecting with vinegar instead of harsh chemicals, and eliminating the use of PAM in the kitchen.

When I read on the side of the PAM can that it used "propellants" that are "generally recognized as safe for consumption" or something to that effect, that got me a little leery. Propellants sounds like a substance for airplanes. Words like "generally" I distrust. It allows a company to make a broad assertion while creating a loophole for specific exceptions. It seems to be a legal maneuverer.

So, Lina bought a mister. One has to hand-pump for compression to build and then spray. It works like a charm (once Lina showed me how to use it....I am such a moron).

Before the mister and after the PAM, I was almost deep frying my two eggs each morning. I only eat the oats once or twice a week to clean out the pipes. The ironic thing was that even with all of the oil in the frying pan, the eggs would still stick. Somehow using less oil and misting it, causes the oil to be more effective. It is healthier and non-stickier, all without the jet fuel additive!

Is it not the same with the self? We think in order to prevail, we have to pour on the self. Yet, he who lives by the self will die by it (another word for the self is the ego). Here is the problem...once we are the overarching presence in a situation, we will become the focus, and that may eclipse the initial problem. We can become the face of the conflict...and this is not good.

Better to be lighter on the "me and the I" and instead spray our perspective rather than pouring it on in gobs. Personalizing issues in most cases often increases conflict and non-resolution. Focusing instead on principles of fairness, justice, and mercy for all involved, creates a non-stick environment. It decreases defensiveness. We are more at peace in the heat because it isn't about us...the other-centeredness spreads cohesiveness. Conflict and confrontation will come...but keeping the self as a spray makes us calmer and more effective.