less of me, more of you

as i was telling a yesterday, this semester at berkeley has been entirely about taking classes that encourage one to step out of oneself and into the lives of others. the goal appears to be to learn to progressively silence the ego so that one is able to be less and less like oneself and more and more like everyone else. and perhaps it is only when one is able to be like everyone else can one truly understand everyone else. it is said, after all, that we can only know through experience.

does this turn the concept of 'individuality' on its head, then? is there a sense to this madness at all? a deeper thread that coheres this yearning for individuality with the goal of understanding one's fellow beings? there must be a selflessness to this yearning too, yes? at some deeper level?

this post comes from a half-baked thought process. if you can think of light to shed, i'd love to hear. i'll be thinking about this more meanwhile.