Think About It

Ego

The path to enlightenment is blocked by ego or so we are told from a myriad sources. The intrinsic emotional safety net that we call ego has a purpose but in many ways has outgrown its usefulness and is more a hindrance than a help. It is no longer a safety net but a ruler of our lives.

As a beginning to mastering it, our first ego-driven question has to be "What's in it for me?". The positive spiritual aspects like kindness, selflessness, and forgiveness are all challenged by an over-inflated ego. In fact, our minds defend our ego by highlighting that kindness can be abused, forgiveness exploited, and selflessness leaving us homeless and destitute. These examples are actually this inner beast leading us to disaster, our egos guide us to live our lives with scales, yardsticks, and price guides.

Have you ever paused before a charitable act and asked yourself how much should I give or how long should I commit for? Even thinking about "should" shows egos ugly side, the word "should" setting a moral or financial yardstick against our actions. Are we measuring our available time, financial ability, or social impact on our "good deed", and if so are we being guided by our ego?

So how can we beat this insidious enemy of our inner peace if it lurks around every corner waiting to make its presence felt? In short, the answer is that we don't, the ego thrives on winning so we do not fight this inner demon but rather we accept it. We apply our minds to recognize it when it appears and let it pass. My favorite quote on fear can equally be applied to the sensation of ego showing itself, ego like fear has no value when it blocks us from our goals.

“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.” ― Frank Herbert, Dune

"Only I will remain", the "I" spoken of is the true self and as such it requires no measurement, in any deed the act in itself is enough and only need to be set against your own wishes and those you feel are your Higher Powers. We now come to an equal challenge to our spiritual journey with our moral compass, we can believe we are doing "the right thing" but are we truly on the path?

Our moral compass can be measured by our inner voice, our connection to our Higher Power, and the behavior of people around us. Our serenity will likely be challenged by people who are on their own path and though we can offer them help when asked, we should remember that people be allowed to discover their own way.