Ego | Your Friend or Your Foe?
Many people spend their entire lives fighting a perceived and internal enemy called the Ego. Behaviours, careers, addictions and relationships have all been affected in some way by a collective belief about the Ego. Ancient scriptures say, to be human you must have ego. Is Ego your friend or your Foe?
For generations humans have been programed to the mindset that Ego is bad or at best a lesser than behaviour. A show of pride was Ego and a show of humbleness was Divine.
In the Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 7 – Knowledge of the Absolute) Krishna says, “air, water, earth, fire, sky, mind, intelligence and ahankarah (false ego) together constitute the nature created by me.”
Ahankarah or Ahamkara is the Sanskrit word used to identify egoic energy. Where Society views ego as a negative behaviour, Ahankarah has a more expansive meaning. It implies neither a positive nor a negative.
The definition of Ahankarah in a broader sense is; that which identifies itself with nature. The nature of ahankarah has to be false. To have a human body, we have to transform from unidentified to identified. When you are born, you take on a false identity. When you die, you release that identity, transforming back to the unidentified.
According to Vedanta, Ahankarah energy is one of four parts, the other three being Buddhi (wisdom), Citta (consciousness) and Manas (thought/mind). The wisdom within this energy is infinite.
The base ingredients to be human are; air, water, earth, fire, ether, and ahankarah (false ego).
Suffering arises when you try to deprive yourself of any one of these ingredients. If you don’t drink water, your body will dehydrate. If you don’t eat, you will be malnourished. If you don’t have fire energy, you will have no digestion. If you don’t have air, you have no life. Likewise, if you have no ahankarah, you have no survival instinct.
Survival instinct is that inner gut feeling that attunes you to an undisputed internal knowingness. It directly influences your physical, mental and spiritual wellness. Every creature on the planet has survival instinct.
A healthy flow of Ahankarah supports a joyful lifestyle and a sick or weakened flow of Ahankarah leads to suffering.
Society tells us Ahankarah is a bad quality. We are taught to either control or beat down this energy. In reality, Ahankarah must be strengthened. It is the very essence of our willpower.
Ahankarah is not a behaviour or a feeling. Ahankarah is an energy that is necessary for human life to exist. As the Gita states, it is a nature created by God/Universe. We label and judge behaviours and feelings based on personal perceptions. Behaviours and feelings are human-created ideas and concepts.
As an example, ignorance is attributed to having too much Ahankarah. However, perception of ignorance is only in the eyes of the person who beholds it.
Likewise, pride is perceived to be a deadly sin. However, pride can also be personal fulfillment with one’s Self and accomplishments.
Human-created behaviours and childhood programming came into existence, when organized religion and politics came into existence.
Human-created behaviours are programmed from one generation to the next. They are comprised of beliefs, judgements, logic and negative patterns.
It is a repetitive style of discipline based on reward and punishment. It hypnotizes a person into a conformed pattern of behaviour while simultaneously stripping them of their free-will.
Human-created behaviours causes mental anguish. In childhood, when a child’s mental strain, exceeds their capacity to comprehend the actions of people around them, they are forced into either submission or out-right disobedience. This ultimately takes the form as a divided personality, a pleaser or a rebel. It is the start of an internal mental division.
Human-created behaviours are often disguised as a ruse to help others. The martyr is as tricky as the traitor.
Spontaneous behaviour is understanding and accepting. It is present to the moment and flows in accordance with nature. It is free of judgements and instead, open to all possibilities. Encouragement and support in childhood, makes a person feel supported in their adult years. A healthy person leads to a healthy society. Spontaneous behaviour promotes a natural confidence, willpower and intuitive awareness.
Human-created behaviour is rooted in past memories. Spontaneous behaviour is rooted in the present.
I have attended many wellness retreats, churches, seminars and workshops that promote, “kill the ego”, “get rid of the ego”, “tame the ego”, “don’t have ego”, “ego is bad”. This is an archaic and childish way of understanding ahankarah.
If you understand ahankarah energy, your human existence will be effortless. Ahankarah is not a negative human character trait. Character traits are judged good or bad by the people who influence us.
The flow of ahankarah is restricted when we are beaten down as children. When we say, “man is a product of his environment”, what we are really saying is, “man is a product of human actions”.
A hurt child, is a child hurt by the actions of their fellow humans. And, the actions of the people around us determine how we view our Self.
Life as you know it is being filtered through the lens of your past influences, hurt feelings and programed beliefs. The memories of yesterday are the very ones you need to heal today’s suffering.
How can you Heal the Hurt Child and restore a healthy flow of ahankarah?
For generations humans have been programed to the mindset that Ego is bad or at best a lesser than behaviour. A show of pride was Ego and a show of humbleness was Divine.
In the Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 7 – Knowledge of the Absolute) Krishna says, “air, water, earth, fire, sky, mind, intelligence and ahankarah (false ego) together constitute the nature created by me.”
Ahankarah or Ahamkara is the Sanskrit word used to identify egoic energy. Where Society views ego as a negative behaviour, Ahankarah has a more expansive meaning. It implies neither a positive nor a negative.
The definition of Ahankarah in a broader sense is; that which identifies itself with nature. The nature of ahankarah has to be false. To have a human body, we have to transform from unidentified to identified. When you are born, you take on a false identity. When you die, you release that identity, transforming back to the unidentified.
According to Vedanta, Ahankarah energy is one of four parts, the other three being Buddhi (wisdom), Citta (consciousness) and Manas (thought/mind). The wisdom within this energy is infinite.
The base ingredients to be human are; air, water, earth, fire, ether, and ahankarah (false ego).
Suffering arises when you try to deprive yourself of any one of these ingredients. If you don’t drink water, your body will dehydrate. If you don’t eat, you will be malnourished. If you don’t have fire energy, you will have no digestion. If you don’t have air, you have no life. Likewise, if you have no ahankarah, you have no survival instinct.
Survival instinct is that inner gut feeling that attunes you to an undisputed internal knowingness. It directly influences your physical, mental and spiritual wellness. Every creature on the planet has survival instinct.
A healthy flow of Ahankarah supports a joyful lifestyle and a sick or weakened flow of Ahankarah leads to suffering.
Society tells us Ahankarah is a bad quality. We are taught to either control or beat down this energy. In reality, Ahankarah must be strengthened. It is the very essence of our willpower.
Ahankarah is not a behaviour or a feeling. Ahankarah is an energy that is necessary for human life to exist. As the Gita states, it is a nature created by God/Universe. We label and judge behaviours and feelings based on personal perceptions. Behaviours and feelings are human-created ideas and concepts.
As an example, ignorance is attributed to having too much Ahankarah. However, perception of ignorance is only in the eyes of the person who beholds it.
Likewise, pride is perceived to be a deadly sin. However, pride can also be personal fulfillment with one’s Self and accomplishments.
Human-created behaviours and childhood programming came into existence, when organized religion and politics came into existence.
Human-created behaviours are programmed from one generation to the next. They are comprised of beliefs, judgements, logic and negative patterns.
It is a repetitive style of discipline based on reward and punishment. It hypnotizes a person into a conformed pattern of behaviour while simultaneously stripping them of their free-will.
Human-created behaviours causes mental anguish. In childhood, when a child’s mental strain, exceeds their capacity to comprehend the actions of people around them, they are forced into either submission or out-right disobedience. This ultimately takes the form as a divided personality, a pleaser or a rebel. It is the start of an internal mental division.
Human-created behaviours are often disguised as a ruse to help others. The martyr is as tricky as the traitor.
Spontaneous behaviour is understanding and accepting. It is present to the moment and flows in accordance with nature. It is free of judgements and instead, open to all possibilities. Encouragement and support in childhood, makes a person feel supported in their adult years. A healthy person leads to a healthy society. Spontaneous behaviour promotes a natural confidence, willpower and intuitive awareness.
Human-created behaviour is rooted in past memories. Spontaneous behaviour is rooted in the present.
I have attended many wellness retreats, churches, seminars and workshops that promote, “kill the ego”, “get rid of the ego”, “tame the ego”, “don’t have ego”, “ego is bad”. This is an archaic and childish way of understanding ahankarah.
If you understand ahankarah energy, your human existence will be effortless. Ahankarah is not a negative human character trait. Character traits are judged good or bad by the people who influence us.
The flow of ahankarah is restricted when we are beaten down as children. When we say, “man is a product of his environment”, what we are really saying is, “man is a product of human actions”.
A hurt child, is a child hurt by the actions of their fellow humans. And, the actions of the people around us determine how we view our Self.
Life as you know it is being filtered through the lens of your past influences, hurt feelings and programed beliefs. The memories of yesterday are the very ones you need to heal today’s suffering.
How can you Heal the Hurt Child and restore a healthy flow of ahankarah?
Nurture yourself back to health through introspective and reflective observation. Strengthen your hurt inner child.
1. Observe how you react to the world, not what the world is doing to you.
2. Reflect on the environment you grew up in. As an example, my environment was more insulting than complimentary. I was told “you are black and ugly like your father.” Subsequently I grew up lacking self-confidence. I had low self-esteem, anxiety and a multitude of spinoff emotions.
Through years of self-observation, I gave my inner child the confidence she needed. My writing has boosted my self-esteem which in turn helped my anxiety. I nurtured myself. And I gave my inner “me” what the world took from me in the first place. I am very proud of where I am today. No one should be stripped of inner pride.
Through years of self-observation, I gave my inner child the confidence she needed. My writing has boosted my self-esteem which in turn helped my anxiety. I nurtured myself. And I gave my inner “me” what the world took from me in the first place. I am very proud of where I am today. No one should be stripped of inner pride.
3. Observe how you parent yourself, discipline yourself, negative self-talk, emotional neediness, etc. Journal your observations.
As an example: when you make a mistake do you take a breath and move on, or do you use language like; “stupid me!” “damn it!” “Oh shit!” “I can’t believe I did that!”
As an example: when you make a mistake do you take a breath and move on, or do you use language like; “stupid me!” “damn it!” “Oh shit!” “I can’t believe I did that!”
4. Recall what you were interested in as a child. Interests are the things that created a sense of wonderment and enthusiasm within you. Do those interests now, no matter how silly they feel. Dance, sing, draw, read comic books. Interests can be anything.
5. Observe your basic rebel and pleaser personalities. How do they play out?
As an example, a teenager rebelling against doing chores, has a very different vibe from a partner not helping with the chores.
As an example, a teenager rebelling against doing chores, has a very different vibe from a partner not helping with the chores.
Self-observation will help you understand which areas your hurt inner child needs nurturing the most. Self-care is personalized to the individual. It can be as simple as treating yourself to a warm bath, or forgiving yourself and releasing past abusers.
Self-love requires this understanding: No one is required to love you, absolutely no one. Not your parents, siblings, friends, spouse, partner, neighbor or priest. The only one required to love you is YOU.
Self-love means acceptance of Self in totality. Self includes ahankarah. Self-love requires you to respect the elements, energies and vibrations that brought you into being. Self-love restores your inner strength and capabilities. It grows your natural intuitive nature.
Remove the veil of programmed perception and you will see; there is no separation in the Universe. Nothing is separate and apart. Therefore, the ideology that Ahankarah or Ego is separate is a human-made illusion.
Human woes do not stem from Ahankarah or Ego energy. Human woes stem from the human-created insatiable thirst for attention, appreciation and approval, and the desire for power, prestige and success.
Why are humans so attached to the thought that they are Ego and not attached to the thought they are also air, water, earth, fire, ether?
Evidence suggests, propaganda surrounding ahankarah or ego energy, is influenced by self-motivation, rather than the hidden blessing it was meant to be for mankind.
Self-love requires this understanding: No one is required to love you, absolutely no one. Not your parents, siblings, friends, spouse, partner, neighbor or priest. The only one required to love you is YOU.
Self-love means acceptance of Self in totality. Self includes ahankarah. Self-love requires you to respect the elements, energies and vibrations that brought you into being. Self-love restores your inner strength and capabilities. It grows your natural intuitive nature.
Remove the veil of programmed perception and you will see; there is no separation in the Universe. Nothing is separate and apart. Therefore, the ideology that Ahankarah or Ego is separate is a human-made illusion.
Human woes do not stem from Ahankarah or Ego energy. Human woes stem from the human-created insatiable thirst for attention, appreciation and approval, and the desire for power, prestige and success.
Why are humans so attached to the thought that they are Ego and not attached to the thought they are also air, water, earth, fire, ether?
Evidence suggests, propaganda surrounding ahankarah or ego energy, is influenced by self-motivation, rather than the hidden blessing it was meant to be for mankind.