My wife is a fan of Bon Jovi and went to one of his concerts of last spring. I was asking her why is it ridiculous for me have grandiose thoughts about who I am. To sing my praises, to give myself a standing ovation.

Take the constructs that Bon Jovi represents. Fame, fortune, good-looks, and good music, i.e. if that is your style. All of these are false constructs that our culture covets intensely. Compared to the true reality, the universe, the great complexity of the human experience, what we see/hear in someone like Bon Jovi it is all illusory.

So when I see some one applauding Bon Jovi, wasting their adulation on such things, I ask why can I not at least give myself that adulation. Now of course both might be equally futile. However I will at least benefit from one and not the other.