The Ego Isn't Always a Bad Thing

colinhoward (61)in #philosophy • 6 years ago (edited)

A primary component of spiritual thought is the idea that ego is a false conception and must be shed at all costs

The main message many spiritual thinkers espouse is that the ego is the source of primary source of our suffering, the thing that causes great strive and division in our world. I touched on this topic in my post regarding oneness and separation, and I wanted to follow up further with some thoughts on the ego.

But before diving into this topic, let's first define what the ego is. There are a variety of definitions, whether you are speaking from a philosophical or psychoanalytic perspective. Here are 3 definitions, courtesy of dictionary.com:

the “I” or self of any person; a person as thinking, feeling, and willing, and distinguishing itself from the selves of others and from objects of its thought.
Psychoanalysis. the part of the psychic apparatus that experiences and reacts to the outside world and thus mediates between the primitive drives of the id and the demands of the social and physical environment.
egotism; conceit; self-importance:

Ego is almost always associated with the third definition, that being of being conceitful or full our ourselves. Someone with a large ego is seen as being vain, superficial, and arrogant.

But this neglects the first two definitions

The ego is a reference point for our consciousness. It distinguishes ourselves from the world around us, from others in our life. It grounds us to everyday reality by providing a consistent point to draw from.

Imagine waking up every day and having a new identity, a completely new view separate from the previous day. This isn't a very sustainable life, and indeed sounds more like a recipe for madness than nirvana.

In college, I first received the message that the ego was a source of great suffering in the world. As a result, I had the belief that I must kill my ego in order to reach a more enlightened state of mind. I tried a number of different methods to get rid of my ego, none which ever produced lasting results.

The belief was, if I'd just get rid of every shred of my identity, I would be able to live life completely unattached and free from my ego-driven suffering.

The truth was, I needed the reference point that an ego provided

Walking through life without anything to hold on to sounds liberating and exhilarating, but in my experience it is not practical or desirable. We need to have some sense of ourselves, what we've been through, where we want to go, etc. In this sense, the 'I' that the ego provides is a beneficial aspect of our reality.

When the ego becomes out of balance and is skewed towards a distorted and conceitful sense of self, it becomes something to address. And this is happening all the time, every day. We must constantly check our ego to ensure we don't become full of shit and lose sight of what is really in front of us.

But I think it's also important to recognize that the ego serves a purpose, one that makes life coherent when things are in balance. Living life without an ego to mediate between the internal and external worlds isn't very sustainable for most people.

Go ahead and check your ego, just don't kill it.

All uncredited pictures from pixabay.com or my personal account

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6 years ago in #philosophy by colinhoward (61)

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maloneyj55 (44) 6 years ago

Gandhi had an ego so did Martin Luther King. It's a tool that can be dangerous and easily abused but it is not inherently bad. "Check your ego, just don't kill it" I like that. I think you can watch it and see how it behaves. If you meditate it's easier to see. Emotions and thought patterns appear and you begin to see how reactive and unconscious a lot of your actions, thoughts, and feelings are. From there you can start to steer your ego to work for you rather against you.

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