Summary of "Mind Your Elephant: How to get rid of your ego, connect with others and save the world". Download the book for free in www.mindyourelephant.org
3. Mind your elephant
“A person with ubuntu is open and
Dysfunctional people available to others, affirming of
Ego-driven individuals others, does not feel threatened
Dysfunctional relationships that others are able and good.”
Desmond Tutu
Artificial separateness
Dysfunctional society
Systemic crisis
5. You are not your elephant
“I am that by which I
Elephant is your ego know I am”
“a mental image of who you Nisargadatta Maharaj
are, based on your personal
and cultural conditioning.”
You are not your ego
your name, age, body, title
or profession is not you
You are the consciousness
behind your elephant
7. Suffering is elephant food
“Why are you unhappy? Because
The obsessive compulsives 99.9 per cent of everything you
possessiveness, pleasure, think, and of everything you do, is
fear, keeping busy, thinking for yourself. And there isn't one.”
Wei wu Wei
Trying to be happy causes
suffering
concentrate on peace, love
and joy within
Acceptance is the key
accept that everything is
unsatisfactory, impermanent
and has no self
9. The elephant has taken over
“For some our dialogue of
Elephant speech brain chatter runs so fast that
“I need, I want, I desire” we can barely keep up with
“I should, I could, I would” what we are thinking..”
Jill Bolte Taylor
Silence the brain chatter
elephant is in the past and in
the future; be in the now
Replace fear with love
accept the fact that your
elephant is afraid
take everything as a gift
11. The crocodile dentist
“We live in a time of chaos, as rich in
The Golden Rule 2.0 the potential for disaster as for new
“I am because you are” possibilities. How will we navigate
mindset affects behavior these times? The answer is, together.”
Margaret Wheatley
behavior changes thoughts
The Nokia Generation
focus on the whole, parts
and interconnections
Give for the sake of giving
scrap “what’s in it for me”
13. Elephant in crocodile’s mouth
“Only actions that do not cause
Spot the elephant in both opposing reactions are those that
accept instead of judging are aimed at the good of all.”
Eckhart Tolle
Appreciate assertiveness
defend everyone’s rights
focus on what works
Law of Garbage Truck
don’t take things personally
15. Relationships without elephant
“When people talk, listen
Aim for egoless synergy completely. Most people
empathy: “walk a mile in never listen.”
another person’s shoes” Ernest Hemingway
Practice compersion
enjoy others’ delight
Be radically honest
minimize your “assholiness”
Communicate everything
we cannot read minds... yet
17. The culture of letting go
“When I let go of what I am, I
Acknowledge the facts become what I might be.”
let go of safe and familiar Lao Tzu
Do less, be more
free time to do nothing
Get rid of needless stuff
learn to minimize craving,
delusion and attachment
It can feel like dying
when the ego dies, you can
be reborn and grow up
19. Society of ants
“As a thinker and planner, the ant is
We don’t need control the equal of any savage race of men;
as a self-educated specialist in several
we can be self-organized arts, she is the superior of any savage
50% of ants do nothing race of men; and in one or two high
be the change you seek! mental qualities she is above the
reach of any man, savage or civilized!”
Competition is not enough Mark Twain
co-create for common good
We are already connected
how do we work as a
system?
20. Monetary system is unhealthy
System-created values
greed, self-interest, elitism
Who creates money?
1-3 % is coins and bills
money is debt
who pays the interest?
Nature and we suffer
are you free or in debt?
what are the alternatives?
21. Towards a new society
What kind of world
would you like to see?
22. Towards a new society
“Our customs, behaviors, and
Equal opportunity to values are by-products of our
culture. If the environment is
abundance is the key unaltered, similar problems and
I am because you are behaviors will reoccur.”
because we are Peter Joseph
New culture is needed
meaningful co-creation and
agile development
bestowal and abundance
authenticity, awareness and
dialogue
24. Be the awakening
“Everything in your life is
off-the-creed there as a vehicle for your
transformation. Use it!”
knowing and doing the right Ram Dass
thing
off-the-greed
from monetarism to free
co-creation
off-the-grid
small self-reliant and
interlinked communities
...for he or she has a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or she belongs in a greater whole and is diminished when others are humiliated or diminished, when others are tortured or oppressed. I am
Unconditional love is essentially unconditional connectedness.