Pursuit of Godliness: an exercise in futility

What a piece of work is a man, 
How noble in Reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and moving
how express and admirable, 
In action how like an Angel!
in apprehension how like a god, the beauty of the
world, the paragon of animals. and yet to me, what is
this quintessence of dust?
(Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, Act II, Scene 2)

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While meditating on the 18th verse of the Tao te Ching, it occurred to me that the entire Bible could be condensed into a simple overview of our pursuit of God. (FYI: the 18th verse of the Tao is about living the false life.)
For many of us, the only person we allow others to see is the mask we wear to fool ourselves into thinking we are something other than who we truly are. At least, that is what I have believed for years.
However, without the use of marijuana or LSD, my mind is expanding to be able wrap itself around the idea that maybe not all is as false as it appears. Maybe we are being as true to ourselves as we know how.
But, the problem is--what do we know?
Do we know the truth? Or, are we believing the lie?
The lie is simple, but tremendously deceptive.
It is this: I need to be like God.
No. 

You don't.
You do not need to be like God.
You need to be like who you were intended to be.
That is what the Bible is about: helping us to understand who we are meant to be. (That is also what the Tao te Ching and the Dhammapada is about.)
Somewhere along the way, however, Christian believers came to think that the Bible is about telling others how they should be. Now, as a result, we have the morass of muddled mentality making mountains out of molehills and monkeys out of many.

Here is the overview that was shown to me in a flash during the meditation:

1. We are born in the image of God.
2. We buy the lie that we can become like God.
3. We begin to learn about good and evil.
4. We desire good, and legislate ourselves to be good.
5. We find that our rules don't help us to be good.
6. We go live in the world apart from God.
7. We get tired of that and want to get back with God.
8. We add more rules to help us be like God.
9. We find that doesn't work, so we seek wisdom.
10. We find the search for wisdom to be chaotic, so we quit, and find ourselves.

In one form or another, I believe this is the path many have found themselves on. You may use different words to describe it, but eventually we will all arrive at the place where we began--recognizing our godliness for what it is.

As part of the punishment for buying into the lie, God "... drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life." (Gen. 3:24)

The way to the tree of life has never been shut. It has only been kept.

It is a way that is still available for every man, woman, and child to take. It is the way that will liberate all from the bondage of trying to be like God.

Your comments, criticisms, and/or questions are most welco