Believing Your Own “True Lies” – Thoughts on the Schwarzenegger Scandal

Anyone who really knows me, knows that I love Arnold Schwarzenegger. He has inspired me so much over the years – someone who has overcome the odds, dreamed big and accomplished so much. I am disappointed in the news, but not surprised. To me, this represents a larger than life projection of the ego and symbolizes the illusion of grandiosity in our culture. I find it actually hopeful that it is all coming crumbling down. Rather than judge him or anyone, I can simply say a prayer of gratitude “there but for the grace of God go I.” All my “big dreams” and grandiose thinking was all ego and if I had ever got what I really thought I was supposed to get, I might actually find myself in the same place believing my own “True Lies” and thinking that my larger than life persona was who I really am. Whenever our sense of self comes from the things of this world; fame, celebrity, money, success, prestige, we can develop a false sense of security that will one day crumble. The only thing that is everlasting is love and the only way to detach from the things of this world and find that love within is through forgiveness. We need to forgive the thoughts that keep us separate from our connection to God and one another. We need to forgive and show compassion to those who believed their own lies. Thank you Arnold, for reminding me that the ego is simply an illusion. We all at one time or another get caught and stuck in the lies we tell ourselves. We believe we actually are the persona we’ve created. I’m grateful to be on a spiritual path and to awaken to the truth of who I really am. “I prayed to God when my world was shaken to the core… only to find out, it was God who was doing the shaking!”