Hello Everyone,
Here is Metanoia's simple explanation to what the ego is. We wish you a good read!
The ego is a fundamental aspect of the mind that shapes our perception and behaviour. It acts as a feedback system, collecting and analyzing information, and forming personal interpretations and judgments. However, it is important to remember that the ego is not a tangible entity, but rather a mental construct that creates an illusion of self as a separate entity. It should not be mistaken for our instincts, intuition, or intentions, but rather the voice that comments on them.
The ego is also responsible for much of the suffering we experience in life, as it adds a layer of interpretation and narration to pain, making it worse. Understanding that suffering is a result of the ego's interpretation of pain, rather than pain itself, is crucial! The ego is built through evolution, it is survival oriented, it is inherently focused on the negative as from the evolution standpoint, it pays off to be anxious and worried as you are alerted of surrounded dangers and predators, being relaxed and worry-less on the other hand might be fatal for you.
The ego is formless and so because it has no form, it will identify with whatever is placed in front of it. It doesn’t need to be a physical object, it can be an idea or a role you play or an identity you have or something you're attached to. Everything that is placed in front of the ego, with your attention and your interest is then endowed with a sense of identity. And so, obviously the most common two things that are constantly being placed in front of the ego is the body and the mind. The ego doesn't just say “I have a body and a mind” but it says: “I am the body and the mind” and this is what makes us vulnerable to suffering because when our mind, our ideas or opinions are threatened, or when our body is threatened, we feel as though we are being threatened.
The ego is trying to help you survive, it has to fabricate a false sense of control on reality and it does that by coming up with a definition and a label for every object that it can perceive. It only ever relates to its projections but never to the actual thing itself. The result of this false sense of control causes pride to be born within the ego. The ego can only be an unconscious movement meaning that the moment you are aware that a thought has come from the ego, you begin to drain it of its power and influence because the ego was designed to be sort of an autopilot for consciousness.
It's only the light of awareness that can dissolve the programs of the ego, because evolution is very efficient, what is not needed becomes discarded, the ego dies when you no longer have use for it anymore. When there is no more mind made entity constantly narrating your experience then all that remains is that natural and organic peace that is inherent to existence itself.
The ego allows the one, the source, the infinite to know and experience itself. Infinity means unity, infinity means no lack or separation. In infinity there can only be the illusion of lack or separation, it is perfect and it is complete. In order for anything to be known experientially, there must be some sort of contrast, and the ego being negatively oriented, provides this necessary contrast for the infinite to know itself. The You, the Me, this separate sense of self is what allows the universe to experience itself.
Through the suffering that the ego creates, we begin to desire our true freedom. We begin to desire to know our True Self and through this desire, consciousness evolves.
We wish you a beautiful and successful week
Nicolas Belliot
Every week Metanoia brings you a different topic to explore self development, spirituality and mindfulness.
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The views and opinions expressed in this blog are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the organization. The organization does not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information provided in this blog. The author of this blog is solely responsible for the content and any harm or damages that may arise from the use or reliance on the information presented in this blog.
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