To Vilify the Ego

To Vilify the Ego

When it comes to spirituality, we often invent scapegoats wherever we ourselves should be held accountable, so perhaps we may have something to nail to the cross when we wish to avoid our own crucifixion.

One such scapegoat is the Ego, the idea we have of ourselves, the concept of “I” in each and every individual. This mystical abstraction is often seen as a sort of demon, the cause of our evils and the perpetrator of our individuality, which is somehow correlated to selfishness, self-seeking, self-gratification, and any such desires one might otherwise take full responsibility for. As it is claimed, the Ego is the demon that leads us from our “true nature”—whatever that may be—as if we were children enchanted by the melodies of the Pied Piper.

We wear it on our clothing; it’s tattooed on our skin; it’s in the conduct of our interaction; it seeps into every word and utterance; the Ego is virtually unavoidable in day to day life. If our “true nature” amounts to no more than “do as we naturally do”, it seems this Ego is, in fact, a part of our true nature; the Pied piper be damned.

But what is the Ego? Is there really an independent mechanism somewhere within that urges us to perpetuate this notion of self?

Of course—as is common—there is no such entity; there is no such component actually existing within ourselves we can call the Ego. It is a virtual representation of another notion, a product of language. It merely implies that we often think about ourselves and express ourselves in a certain fashion to which we find tasteful. When we say someone has a big Ego, we mean he thinks maybe too highly of himself, or that he is arrogant, or that he carries a grandiose view of himself—all ideas that the Ego isn’t, but he himself, is responsible for.

Some seek to blame the Ego, idolize it, condemn it, crucify it, as if our personal culture (a culture of which we have complete control) is the guilty party in our actions. Even if we were to destroy it—even if we were able to completely redefine how we think about ourselves and build anew in its place, a false identity somehow removed of the memory, experience and culture of oneself and one’s environment—it is still just the Ego talking. But by inventing the scapegoat, they are able blame themselves under the guise of blaming something else. Self-satisfaction achieved; the Ego intact.

Whenever we blame our Ego for something, we are blaming only an ill-defined idea and abstraction of ourselves as a whole, in order to disassociate ourselves from the seemingly shameful result of the mediocre art we produce every day and in every interaction as creative beings; and like any art, our true nature is not the canvas, nor the paint, but the entire piece.

Look in the mirror. Perceive and conceive yourself, and see the Ego in all its glory. It stares back at us. It is us.

Vilify the Ego? Vilify yourself and your creation.

Thank you for reading,

reply to post by LesMisanthrope


Hear hear! To vilify the ego is to spend your entire lifetime rejecting the individual nature of your existence. And that is the true source of our troubles - refusal to accept ourselves as imperfect beings. And by "imperfect", I mean "vulnerable".

You two rock! Stars and Flag!

reply to post by LesMisanthrope


Interesting thread.

I have recently had an altercation with my ego. More like a head on freight train collision.
I present myself as an awesome, supremely confident and capable person. And it is the end product of how I conduct myself and the quality of my work.

But lately I have been feeling quite the opposite. In my head, some of my recent actions lead me to believe that I am a scumbag, and worthless. I know this is not true. But I believe it is so. If that makes any sense.

So there is this conflict of what I know and what I believe. When I step back and look at it objectively, it is a very interesting situation. And I am not quite sure what to make of it.

I think I will have to do more research into ego and it's complexities.

An interesting OP and quite a workable philosophy, but I see things differently...

My philosophy is that we humans are spiritual beings at constant odds with the
wants and needs of the body we inhabit.

This animal host I am wearing came equipped with natural instincts that I strive everyday
to over-ride. Take the spirit out of my animal and I becomes a feral animal focused on survival,
with no remorse, pity, or sense of justice.

You've heard of the jocular definition of stress?
STRESS:
The Confusion Created When One's Mind Overrides The Body's Desire To Choke The
Living Crap Out Of Some Ahole Who Desperately Needs It.

So I see each of us as two separate beings. The instinctual animal which is the host,
and the ego which is the spirit. The animal part of us wants only to remain at the top of the food
chain, un-threatened by any superior animal, while the ego plays a lifelong game of
"look what I can do" with the body that it inhabits.

This is the reason for sports, and art, and competition. It is our desire to show off how well
we have learned to control our animal robot...at least that my take on life.

It makes dealing with other people much easier for me. In any situation I only have to decide
if I am dealing with the "animal" part of a being, or the "spiritual" part. I rarely nowadays
see anyone as "one" being, but rather as two...the one on the inside and the one on the outside.

reply to post by LesMisanthrope


The exploration of the ego thru shamanic rituals and substances can reveal much.
Jung was pretty much correct imo.
It's a shame we can't discuss our journeys and what we found there.

The term 'ego' is used to refer to our identification with the physical body. It is that which desires, wishes, hates, envies, dreams, regrets, and, in the big picture, hides our true selves. To claim that you are the ego is extremely ignorant, and even nonsensical. The ego, as said in the OP, is just an amalgamation of abstract ideas. It does not truly exist. One does not have a choice in the contents of the ego (thoughts, feelings, etc.). They are all ideas implanted by external sources. The true 'you' is pure, thoughtless, desireless, beliefless consciousness. Pure knowing of What Is. And this knowingness, this beingness, is infinite bliss.

Those who seek to blame the ego are doing so with the ego, because to blame a thing is to acknowledge that it exists in the first place, and the ego does not exist.

reply to post by LesMisanthrope


The problem is that people catch the strange concepts bandwagon.

Just be who you wish to be, know who you are and who you want to be and never stop loving you as you are.

Ego? What ego, no one knows what ego realy is, we are alive and we have individuality, lets live it and celebrate it, while evolving it.

reply to post by LesMisanthrope

Originally posted by LesMisanthrope

When it comes to spirituality, we often invent scapegoats wherever we ourselves should be held accountable, so perhaps we may have something to nail to the cross when we wish to avoid our own crucifixion.

One such scapegoat is the Ego, the idea we have of ourselves, the concept of “I” in each and every individual. This mystical abstraction is often seen as a sort of demon, the cause of our evils and the perpetrator of our individuality, which is somehow correlated to selfishness, self-seeking, self-gratification, and any such desires one might otherwise take full responsibility for. As it is claimed, the Ego is the demon that leads us from our “true nature”—whatever that may be—as if we were children enchanted by the melodies of the Pied Piper.

Many people mean different things when they say "Ego". I will use the word "Ego" in this response to mean "personal identity / individual / personality"

If you are looking for something to "crucify" in order to take the attention of what-you-believe-to-be
your own "faults" then you are probably working from Ego (looking out for self). It is interesting that some people do not want to be blamed so they will blame it on their Ego instead to save "themselves" from being blame.

It is a bit circular, because one would have to be working from Ego in the first place to care about what another's opinion will be about that "mistake/fault".

reply to post by AfterInfinity

Originally posted by AfterInfinity
reply to post by LesMisanthrope

 

Hear hear! To vilify the ego is to spend your entire lifetime rejecting the individual nature of your existence. And that is the true source of our troubles - refusal to accept ourselves as imperfect beings. And by "imperfect", I mean "vulnerable".

There is no feeling of "imperfection" when one realizes they are Whole.

Originally posted by Manula


Ego? What ego, no one knows what ego realy is, we are alive and we have individuality, lets live it and celebrate it, while evolving it.

No ego? Watch a 2 year old. Primitive ego in all it's glory!!


www.sonoma.edu...

reply to post by LesMisanthrope
I agree, the ego is not an entity, it is the separative process of and as the body-mind looking to be someone apart from all others and things. This gesture of moment to moment separation is based on the false assumption that we are the body-mind, and separate from all others. Look around, we are inherently non-separate from all - we arise in a field of relatedness with all.

It is not necessary to villify this process of separative egoity - it is simply necessary to observe it and notice that it is ill-founded on this always assumed notion that we are the body-mind, or as some think, the brain-mind controlling the body, the knower, etc.

Noticing this false assumption that we are the body-mind or ego-I (rather than fundamental awareness or consciousness), does not eliminate the body-mind's creativity, intelligence, etc. This is a common presumption that if we are not being a separate ego-I, then we just become soup, or non-individuated.

Clearly, ego-transcendence in any given moment does not eliminate the body-mind! In fact, such understanding opens the body-mind to its true potential because one recognizes one's inherent non-separation (or unity) with the Reality in which all arises. In any moment of ego-transcendence, one lives in and as our essential nature, non-separate from the boundless light and energy of Reality Itself.

To only villify the ego and not actually transcend the ego is a waste of life. Villifying the ego is the ego doing its thing. Rather than doing that, just notice the illusion this separative moment to moment gesture actually is and what it does to shut down boundless feeling, life itself. When you recognize that you are actually doing this, you simply stop in any moment of such noticing. Why do you stop? Because this gesture of separation is false and it contracts the body-mind - i.e., it hurts!

reply to post by olaru12

No ego? Watch a 2 year old. Primitive ego in all it's glory!!

Looks like a primitive 2 year old to me.

Originally posted by olaru12

Originally posted by Manula


Ego? What ego, no one knows what ego realy is, we are alive and we have individuality, lets live it and celebrate it, while evolving it.

No ego? Watch a 2 year old. Primitive ego in all it's glory!!


www.sonoma.edu...

A very young child has not developed a separate self (ego). When a child is born it has no control over itself. it does not tell itself off - but it is aware of what is happening. It is aware. And then as it gets a little older it develops 'self' awareness (ego). It becomes aware of itself. Because it has been born into a world where it has to shape up and fit in to the society it was born into - it is told it is not doing it right - it is told to be good and not bad - it does not feel good enough.. That is the voice inside that is judging you - have you noticed this voice (the judge) and there is then a voice inside that becomes the victim of this judge. Because there is a judge and a victim inside there is internal conflict.
The internal conflict between these two (bully and victim) don't stay internal - the conflict spills out and that is what you see in the world. The conflict seen in the world is caused by the internal battle that rages on internally.
The feeling of not being good enough leads to wanting to be better, that striving to be better - is ego.

Originally posted by Manula
reply to post by LesMisanthrope

 

Just be who you wish to be, know who you are and who you want to be and never stop loving you as you are.

Who do you wish to be?
And who are you now?
Do you see the duality? The split is the division.

If you love yourself Now, you have no desire to change. There is nothing you think you need to be. You are content. When the desire to be something 'better' slips in, contentment is lost, and eventually suffering ensues.

You cannot love yourself truly, if you are looking ahead to 'who you wish to be'.

Originally posted by AfterInfinity
reply to post by LesMisanthrope

 

Hear hear! To vilify the ego is to spend your entire lifetime rejecting the individual nature of your existence. And that is the true source of our troubles - refusal to accept ourselves as imperfect beings. And by "imperfect", I mean "vulnerable".

What, exactly, about pure and infinitely free consciousness is 'imperfect' or 'vulnerable'? You are Perfection itself. See this perfection in yourself and all others, and in every moment.

reply to post by LesMisanthrope


Great discussion point!

When we understand that this existence is, fundamentally, interconnected structural energy, then we can have that spiritual gnosis of All and One.

What's this mean in regards to the 'Ego'? Well, in order for there to be an illusion of separation (there is no 100% isolated body in known science), there must be a mechanism to perpetuate the illusion of separation. This is Ego. Ego is the superficial separations within One and All.

Vilify, demonize, or destroy the ego? No, no, no! When we do, we lose passion!

Become ignorant and enslaved to ego? No, no, no! When we do, we grow further from empathy, compassion, and love.

In my opinion, the key is to understand that All is One, understand the illusion of separation. Then we experience paradise, heaven, and nirvana, for we are one with all. This sprouts natural love and natural compassion and natural altruism.

And then when we understand that ego is needed in order for there to be 'difference' amongst the unity,... we are able to be free of conditioning and embrace our individuality. We rejoice in the difference of others.

Peace.

reply to post by Kgnow


*crowd cheer*

OP it's quite funny you mention Ego as a 'Demon', because I'm starting to believe that as according to my interpretation of the Bible that the Ego, is infact Satan.

I used to be an aithest, but I finally found a path thanks to understanding 'Ego' which led me to the Bible. I don't believe in Religion, it's a tool to lead people away from the true path. The ultimate false promise of access to heaven.

It even says in the Bible, for the path to heaven is narrow and not many will find it. Just because you believe in the idea of Christ doesn't mean you are saved. To me Christ is a simple symbology of how us Humans are meant to be - through his actions - you can see that he is the representation of 'Desotryed Ego'. That is why, he is the 'way' to Heaven.

OP you also mention that the Ego likes to 'put the blame' on others to justify our actions. The original word for Satan/Devil is Diabolos. The literal meaning of Diabolos is “slanderer” or “false accuser”. It is from the word “diabolo” which means “to cross over a line”. What does it mean to cross over a line? The line that stands between our self and Ego quite obviously.

Hebrews 2:14 says that the “Devil” has the power of death. Compare this with:

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23

“… every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.” James 1:14

We can see here then that the Devil is simply the inner mind of man, his natural brute nature which is rebellious towards God. It is the nature which all men inherit from Adman (see 1 Corinthians 15:22). Jesus had this nature because he was “in all points tempted like as we are” (Hebrews 4:15) but he resisted those impulses and so destroyed “the devil” or the impulse to sin within his own self.

The reason we die is because of sin, not because of a fictitious horned Devil.

Notice that it says that Jesus resisted all those impluses and so destoryed 'the devil', does it not make more sense that he destoryed his Ego?

It seems that I'm not the only one to believe so also. What it means when it says that the 'Devil' has the power of death is that everybody has the power to completely kill the Ego to clense us of our sins. Granted, nobody is perfect which is why people must confess their sins with their mouth and mean it with all their heart to be absolve of their sins. But that is the way to heaven. I imagine 90% of all Church goers have an Ego without realzing it and believe they are 'safed' just because they believe in Jesus Christ - wrong. And that's exactly why the the Bible says the path is narrow and not many will find it.

The Bible is a book of stories and symbology. It's really a matter of interpretation and that's exactly why I will never be involved with a Church, I just don't believe in it. Religion doesn't allow people to think for themselves, they get 'answers' thrown to them and are thus ultimately decieved.

I really enjoyed your thread OP, you really do have a way with words. S&F.

Source

reply to post by Kgnow

Vilify, demonize, or destroy the ego? No, no, no! When we do, we lose passion!

Become ignorant and enslaved to ego? No, no, no! When we do, we grow further from empathy, compassion, and love.

Ying yang anyone?

There are over 3000 different religions in the World, all explaining the path towards God in their own way but sometimes it's best if people find that path on their own without Religion involved.