The Jewish Buddha says: Accept misfortune as a blessing. Do not wish for perfect health, or a life without problems. What would you talk about? —Zen Judaism by David Bader

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Last week I ran into one of my readers, a smart aleck, who asked with a smirk on his face if I had “yet another” installment for my “yourself” series. (“Know thyself.” “Love yourself.”) I didn’t, but I came up with one just for him.

Screw yourself! You smartass!

Okay. That was rude. Sometimes I forget that one of my many selves is a demon who needs to get out, get some air, and get some lovin’ once in a while. He has a twin sister, a jokester, who gets out more often. Sometimes they team up against a smart aleck.

Being flip to that loyal (but pesky) reader was me just being myself.

(Oh! There it is! Part three of the “self” trilogy.)

BE YOURSELF.

Simple.

But, alas, it’s not.

I’m pretty sure the only way to be yourself is to forget yourself, and if that’s a koan, so be it.

Forget yourself to be yourself.

Fun.

(Funny, indeed, says the jokester.)

I don’t know about you, but I’m not good at forgetting myself. I think about myself a lot. I ponder my looks, speech, actions, longevity, mortality, and legacy.

I sleep. I nap. I eat healthy foods. I do yoga and lift weights daily. I bicycle religiously. I weigh myself. I read. I write. I shop. I socialize. I fraternize.

(And know that I am.)

I regret things. I resolve to make amends, do better, listen more. I kick myself. And repeat.

(I fret, therefore I am.)

If only I could lose myself, I would find myself, or so I’ve heard. I’ve also heard that forgetting yourself is like falling asleep. The harder you try, the less you succeed.

I get that. But I keep trying to forget myself anyway.

C. S. Lewis said that the self is so endlessly fascinating that God had to create the universe just to get us to look at something else.

Maybe that’s the way out of self-centeredness: Fall in love with something bigger and even more beautiful than yourself.

The Torah says: Love your neighbor as yourself. The Buddha says: There is no self. The Jewish Buddha says: I guess we’re off the hook.

And there ends the trilogy.

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