Universal
Small Self
When all we are aware of is the small self, it seems that we take everything personally - in a double sense.
Everything that comes at us - from others or the world in general - is taken personally, as something we are entitled to or an insult. It either validate how deserving we are (though being a good person, lovable, karma, etc), or how cruel the world is to us.
And we take everything arising in us as intensely personal - every sensation, emotions, thought. We define ourselves by these processes. We define ourselves as a small self, a unique and separate individual, through these universally human processes that happens to unfold within this self.
Big Mind
When we open up to the transpersonal realm - to Big Mind or aspects of Big Mind - it all shifts.
We used to be trapped in the view of the small self, seeing everything as me or not me - and a strong separation between the two. Now, we have more of a sense of overview - we see the universal patterns that play themselves out in this as well as all other personalities.
The human drama is the same in all cases, with different minor variations and different flavors. Still, the underlying processes are the same. And they can be boiled down to identification with small self.
Even when we are in the midst of our lives, something in us knows that these are universal patterns and processes playing themselves out. Something in us watches this, as a play unfolding. There is more space and overview. We have room to not get caught in it, to relate to it with more awareness and sense of choice.
Universally Human
For me, it is my aim to continually become more fully and deeply human. This includes becoming intimate with everything unfolding within myself, be continually more honest about it, and recognize it all as universally human. In this way, everything I see in others becomes a guidepost for finding and becoming intimate with the same in myself. And in this process, I open up for deepening empathy and sense of connection with others.