Paradox of Self -Improvement

Paradox of self-improvement: 

there's a paradox of self-improvement, a myth really, that our very essence can or even needs to be fixed, enhanced in someway - and the truth is, the paradox, as seen with any deep inquiry and investigation, the self believed in need of repair doesn't exist in anyway supposed. That's the key issue here, the appearance of a self and the weight of its reality. Neuroscience is now catching up with Buddhism and Advaita Vedanta, what every mystic has gathered through investigating the deep recesses of their minds - the self that we believe in is somewhat of an illusion, non-existence in a certain way, or at least in the manner that it's viewed. I think the best way to describe this is that there's an appearance of a self, a decision maker, the voice that adds narrative to life events, giving judgement, praise and critique, and all of that provides weight for the reality of self belief. And again the paradox here is that it's this voice, this appearance, that urges us for improvement. 

 a mere appearance insisting reality needs repair...that's the paradox of self-improvement. 

the Upanishads tells us that consciousness is the very nature of the self, inseparable from it, the Buddha wouldn't even use the term self to describe our reality, not finding a single entity existing apart from any aspect of the world he insisted that our idea of a lasting sense of self was indeed an illusion. The spiritual text A Course In Miracles likens the self as a mad idea that somehow gained a sense of large importance and has taken over our world. Neuroscience simply states that it's all a process, a complication of chemical and biological events that lend themselves to the voice of self-identification. Anyway we view this it seems clear that self doesn't exist as we believe. 

in which case - what's to be improved upon? 

yet the paradox with self-improvement is that it's valid in a way, misguided, yes, but there's a real urge to find a way that's better suited to experience the world. By this I don't mean an endless quest of working on our insecurities that's guided by the narrative in our heads, that's a misinterpretation of that inner urge that's simply asking us to relax, to know ourselves as already complete and whole, and simply enjoy the process of our ever changing world. If there's a wish to lose weight, improve our health, or just gain a new skill for the sake of our enjoyment - honor it as any quest, sacred in pursuit, but not as an improvement to a self that only exists as an illusion of the mind. There is no right or wrong here, it's only a matter of how we view the quest we're on - sacred, but relaxed and clear in our pursuit, or an endless drive to fix what seems broken and needing our repair. 

it's not a choice, not really...

just the paradox of self-improvement. 

and once seen, we relax, and enjoy the quest we're on. 

~

Peace, Eric