How can we respond urgently and effectively to the ecological crisis—and stay sane doing it? …
Since the sense of self is a construct, it does not correspond to anything substantial. It's not a real thing but a bunch of interactive functions: perceiving, feeling, acting, reacting, remem bering, planning, intending... which means it is normally anxious and insecure, because there's nothing there that could be secured.
— Ecodharma: Buddhist Teachings for the Ecological Crisis by David Loye (Page 105)
Here is where the author loses me. The self can be deconstructed; that doesn't make it less real. You can identify all the boards, nails, and plaster in a house, but as long as they are all together holding back the rain or keeping in the heat, its still a house.