i

The word "i" in the normal english context refers to the speaker himself or herself. In the case when we mentioned the word "i", it simply refers to ourselves. How does "i" apply in our daily lives? A question i often asked myself and the people around me.

Maybe just let me put down my views on this word in writing which had been shared so many times over with my friends conversationally. The meaning and the application for the word "i" differs from person to person and it reflects the growth of a person emotionally, mentally and spiritually.

For a narrow view, "i" simply means nothing more than me and myself only. Constantly holding such a view in our mind restricts one from considering and factoring others into our daily decisions. Such a view may not be healthy and beneficial in the long run for ourselves and the people around us.

From a Zen perspective, all conditioned beings and matter are non-self. They do not have an independent self but rather all conditioned beings and matter are inter-dependent. There cannot be "i" without "you" and we cannot know "long" unless we know "short". Keeping this in mind, we understand that our actions affect not only us but everyone in this world.

Of course, we may argue that it does not. Afterall, how can an action made in the far eastern part of the world have an impact on the far west? Let me illustrate with an example. Imagine we are in the middle of a big lake and we drop a small stone (akin to a small action) into the middle of the lake. What happens?

Waves of ripples appear starting from where the stone is dropped. The waves are small and it will appear to the naked eye that it disappeared as it spreads out. Probably no more than a few feet. From a scientific view point, we know that waves continued much further than what our naked eye can see.

Likewise, our actions spread far and wide even though we may not see it. Liken to the ripples, the ones affected by our actions are the ones most immediate to us. More than often, they are our families and friends. Just like a bigger stone, the bigger our actions are, the further our waves of influence spread.

With such knowledge that our every little actions affect more than just ourselves, i implore the people around me to expand their cirlce of "i' to include their loved ones such as their family members and friends. Doing so, we will be more mindful of our actions and it will less likely to cause hurt to these people we hold so dear in our hearts. Let's make our "i" a bigger "i". =)