Why is erasing desire seen as so important? If the subjugation of the self is the point of the self what's the point in having a self? It's like someone handing you a leaflet which says throw this leaflet away.
Interpretation
The quote questions the value of erasing desire and the purpose of self-identity.
Tibor Fischer's quote explores the paradox of self-subjugation and desire, suggesting that if the aim is to diminish the self, it raises the fundamental question of what purpose the self serves. It critiques the notion that self-denial is necessary for personal growth or enlightenment, using a metaphor about being given a leaflet instructing you to discard it, highlighting the absurdity of negating one's own identity.
In practice
In a discussion about personal growth, one might quote this to emphasize the importance of embracing rather than erasing desires.
It is an item of faith that we are children of God; there is plenty of experience in us against it. The faith that surmounts this evidence and is able to warm itself at the fire of God's love, instead of having to steal love and self-acceptance from other sources, is actually the root of holiness: It is a fatal mistake to think of holiness as a possession which we have distinct from our faith... Faith is the very highest form of our dependence on God.
Duplicity in matters of religion is not confined to Pakistan, but it hurts the most in societies where debate on religion is asphyxiated and preachers of hate have become keepers of faith.
The spirit is the true self, not that physical figure which can be pointed out by your finger.
It occurs to me as I write that this "white light," usually presented dippily (evidence of afterlife, higher power), is in fact precisely consistent with the oxygen deficit that occurs as blood flow to the brain decreases. "Everything went white," those whose blood pressure has dropped say of the instant before they faint.
Call a thing immoral or ugly, soul-destroying or a degradation to man, a peril to the peace of the world or to the well-being of future generations: as long as you have not shown it to be "uneconomic" you have not really questioned its right to exist, grow, and prosper.
However great the exertion of our mind may be to comprehend the Divine Being or any of the ideals, we find a screen and partition between Him and ourselves. Thus the prophets frequently hint at the existence of a partition between God and us.
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