Every day is another day in hell. We know this when we begin to observe our thoughts and feelings, but most people don’t do that. Observation delivers us from evil.

I watch myself feeling self-pity and frustration. You feel it, too.

I forget to watch myself and a haze of ignorance falls around my shoulders. It is then that I begin to indulge myself in every way possible. Overeating, overreacting, etc.

Although I write essays that are on point, my ego never reads them! It is far too busy worrying about its perceived lack of love. It forgets that it has studied truth for decades. Its only investment is in protecting itself.

Oh, occasionally I have an accidentally good day, but in the main, I feel miserable.

When I write about myself, I am writing about you, too.

The internet has told us to be extremely reactive to political news. The ego watches the news in order to feel righteous indignation, which is not a conscious reaction.

What is to be done about our unreal ego? The answer is nothing. Peace comes from non-reaction and in no other way. Let the sleeping do-gooders march with their placards and false promises of victory. No one wins when the ego is in charge.

I will leave you with one sentence: Observe yourself failing yourself. This is the way out of prison.

Vicki Woodyard