He used the analogy of someone wearing sunglasses to illustrate his point. The sunglass wearer does not mistake the distorted color for reality even though things appear rosier when seen through their lenses. We are like a person wearing sunglasses who has forgotten they are on, taking what we see for granted rather than understanding that we are laying a scrim over it. The self exists, but not in the way we ordinarily take for granted, he seemed to be saying. We have to put it to good use rather than trying to shore it up or, alternatively, tear it down.