Ego Elijah and Buddhist Elijah got together for a coffee.
Buddhist Elijah: “Good to see that my influence has taken. You were controlling him enough.”
Ego Elijah: “Yes I must hand it to you. The impact you’ve had in the past six months can not be denied, but I’m not worried.”
BE: “And why’s that?”
EE: “He’ll be back to me after he tires of the life you’ve given him.”
BE: “Why would he ever get tired of living life for his true desires instead of for other people, like he has been doing under your direction?”
EE: “Because desire comes from comparison with other people. Without this comparison, a man’s desire is very weak. He will feel lost, with no motivation. With 7 billion people in the world right now, strong desire is required.”
BE: “Without desire, he’ll be happier.”
EE: “You’re stupid and wrong! He would fall into a life of sloth and contentment. He will watch movies or read books. His body would atrophy since he no longer has the need to build his muscles to display himself before attractive women. He will lose his skill at getting laid.”
BE: “There’s nothing wrong with reading books, meditating, and taking walks at a park.”
EE: “A good book will not satisfy him as much as even pulling an average woman from the club and then sharing the conquest with his friends. This is what man wants, and your advice has harmed him. He didn’t become who he was by being content with life. He was always unsatisfied. I helped him grow into a man.”
BE: “Did you not read Ego Sex? He’s done with that.”
EE: “That was a most unfortunate essay. He’ll retract it in due time, I’m sure.”
BE: “Let’s say you take control again. Then what? Back to the same old grind, the same old hedonistic treadmill? Trying to duplicate what he has already done? It’s a dead end and you know it.”
EE: “So what? Man prefers a treadmill over standing still. Getting laid is better than pretending you don’t want to get laid.”
BE: “He already did that. He wasn’t happy.”
EE: “He was just confused. It was easy for him to go to your side because of what he’s achieved. This journey, in spite of it’s flaws, gave him meaning. You give him none.”
BE: “I give him independence. I tell him he’s fine just the way he is, and he must please no one.”
EE: “You deny human nature. Humans are social and must be a part of the tribe. He must always compare himself with his peers. It will never end.”
BE: “So you want to put him back in this validation machine where he gets laid for others? The crash will be hard. He will do it for another ten years, and then wake up at 45 and realize he has nothing.”
EE: “And if he follows you? What more will he have?”
BE: “Whatever he wants!”
EE: “But don’t you see the problem? You’re telling him he doesn’t need anything. So in 10 years, he will have much less than if I convince him he wants something he doesn’t need. Man needs goals. He needs to achieve. Any burn-out he suffers from my doing will be temporary. It will make him stronger, and then he will achieve more.”
BE: “I won’t let you do it.”
BE: “You will destroy him.”
EE: “Yes I will make him tired. He will go to you like an athlete rests from an injury. You will fill his mind with nonsense and he will like it because it means he doesn’t have to work for a period of time. And then he will get bored and come back to me.”
BE: “I’ll come up with a plan. I’ll stop you.”
Until next time.
Your man,
-Elijah “The Realist”
