How Big is Your Ego? Part 3

In this part 3 of the mini-series of how big is your ego, we continue to dive into factors that we as spiritual beings having a 360 degree, multi-sensory pretty overwhelming sometimes human experience, mistake for ourselves. 

We call this mechanism ego.  And it is basically getting attached to a bunch of external and internal things, that we built a false identity from.   We then attempt to increase, enhance, or defend those things with a bunch of dysfunctional behaviors. 

So far we’ve explored our bodies, including  the senses, our appearances, and all the clothes and accessories we use to express or project our self-image.   We also explored nationality and relationships. For some personality types, appearance is low on the list of their concerns. That doesn’t mean they are enlightened, it may just mean, that their self-image is more connected with what they know and what they know how to do. 

In this article we dive into how we create an identify with knowledge, know-how, education, skills and talents, and how without a deeper spiritual identity, we run the risk of becoming know-it-all’s.  

Although it should be the opposite, it is often the case that the more educated you are, the more narrow minded you are.  We see this often with those within the medical community.  In US doctors receive only 20 hours nutritional studies in their whole degrees, big pharma keep collecting money to look for cancer cures, yet millions of people have had significance improvements in their cases through making dietary changes.  And probably I’m supposed to put some warning in here now, saying I’m not giving any health advice! They are the ones with the holy grail of all information regarding your health, and thou shall not question it.  

Doctors are also often the first to dismiss the 1000’s of accounts people have of near death experiences.  The patient could literally describe the whole medical protocol done to their bodies in details, whilst they were above watching from the ceiling.  And the doctor will show, absolutely no curiousity, just massive resistance.   Because according to the accepted mainstream science, there is no consciousness after death.  

The mainstream establishments have ways of ridiculing and ostracizing those who question the narrative.  Do you really want to lose face, lose your practice, lose your years of studies.  After all that investment of time and money studying that model for half your life, do you really want to consider that there may be huge faults in the whole system.  So says the ego, bringing all the potential loss to your awareness, filling you with fear, and making you ignore any nagging thoughts, that maybe, just maybe, you don’t know everything. 

It is the same ego that makes Archeologists come up their theories, publish their papers, get their fame, and then throw anyone else with a more logical hypothesis under the professional bus.  They have too much to lose.  There are just too many inconvenient truths out there. 

In fact, the history of mankind is full of stories of people desperately holding onto their way of faulty thinking, mistaken beliefs, dangerous, impractical, plain ridiculous ways of doing things, then punishing those who point out their mistakes, until eventually it can no longer be ignored, and so the new view is adopted, and we all pretend that we knew better all along.

This phenomenon applies to every area of human knowledge.  We like to believe we know, it makes us feel important, and in order to prove that we are smart and others are not, we will throw all sorts qualifications in people’s faces, hide evidence, ridicule others perspectives and experiences, debate and correct people.  No one wants to be considered stupid, by oneself or others.

What a huge boost the ego gets when we think we know something that others do not.  This is why conspiracy theories are so addictive.  And I’m speaking from experience.   Going down the rabbit hole, discovering everyone’s favorite celebrity is completely corrupt, all the hidden signs and symbols.  Putting all the pieces of information together, figuring out the patterns, it is intoxicating.  Then you consider yourself in the awake camp, separate to the ignorant sheeple.  And you become ultimately downright arrogant and annoying.  Again, speaking from experience.  Firing off evidence I’ve accumulated online to convince you that I’m really on to it.  Meeting like minded people, we fire off, all the things we’ve figured out to nods of approval.

This is one probably one of the biggest ego trips, that can prevent our true awakening.  Haha. See, now I’m going to tell you all, what you are all doing wrong!  But honestly, realizing the extent of the corruption of the world, does seem to an important step in our evolution, but we can get stuck there.  All the corruption in the world is ultimately a manifestation of souls lost in ego, separate from spirit   And we are all collectively part of that.  Knowing how evil our leaders can be, does make us feel our sins are so much less.  But actually, all we need do is wake up, that is our business.  The rest will follow.  Endlessly feeding ourselves with more and more detailed info about what is going on, behind the scenes, can end up being just another huge ego trip and distraction from true subtle inner work. 

Knowledge can also be not just theories, but know-how.  Knowing how to do something.  This includes all sorts of skills, hobbies, talents.  This is often a huge part of our identity.  Patiently developing a gift, that you can enjoy and share with others sounds like a good use of time.  But again, watch out of the good old ego, coming into to take its commission. 

I recently had a conversation with a singer song writer, who has some degree of national fame.    For the first time in her life, she had the opportunity to work with spiritually minded people to create some songs.  She noticed how relaxed and different the experience was, when the only concern was the song, and not competing for ego points.  

Elizabeth Gilbert in her Ted Talk on Creativity titled Your Elusive Creative Genius., talked about the origins of the word genius.  Historically all art was directed in the service of the divine.  It was meant to take others beyond the mundane.  And when the artist was touched by inspiration, they referred to it as the touch of the Jinn.  In other words, true art was seen as something one got from the divine as an inspiration.  She explained that the loss of this concept, or rather its descent, into “I am a genius’.  Meant the divine was deleted and the ego had taken over. She believed this is the source of the current stereotype of artists as being temperamental, sensitive and overly attached to their creations.  Their ego started to take credit for the talents, gifts, creations, inspirations.  And a certain amount of mental instability followed.

I think there is something in us, that instinctively recoils when people brag about their talents or demean others.  Although it has become much more socially acceptable these days.  We sense that the person is not just enjoying their art or enjoying others enjoying it but it has become an ego trip.  There is something very special about someone who is very special, but plays it down. 

Malcolm Gladwell in this book, Outliers: The Story of Success provided an incredibly well researched and entertaining look at the many environmental factors, opportunities, cultural climates, and good timing, that was behind people who we consider outstanding.  For every Steve Jobs, there are thousands of other creative geniuses, who were just born at the wrong time, in the wrong place, in the wrong family. 

This is humbling for all of us.  For every skills you possess, there are millions of others with the same skill, so many are probably more accomplished than you, there are millions who never ever had the chance to have the tools or education to even start developing that skill. 

We are all products of a thousand environmental factors.  As human beings, characters, we aren’t that special.  And especially modern human beings.  We still can’t work out how our ancestors built the pyramids, yet I get an ego boost from figuring out a short cut on my phone. I think it’s good to laugh at our own stupidity.  I know our egos don’t want to hear that.

Our brains and senses are dulled by junk food, our education is biased, our views are informed by sound bites, we are terribly distracted by the superficial, overstimulation of the digital era.  It is remarkable if anyone can think straight these days. 

But any sort of human smartness, really is nothing compared to the total awareness, truth, wisdom that the soul possesses eternally. 

All the NDE survivors talk of gaining instant full awareness once they left the physical dimension, and of having the answers to everything.  Not thinking through it, figuring it out step by step through a slow brain process, but as an instant download of completely knowing it all.

So, the soul in its true form, is actually a know it all!  But since we are all ultimately know-it-alls, this is something to be celebrated and nothing to get a private ego boost from.   Actually, of course, it is the opposite.  Every human soul is a jewel, a diamond, a divine spark, beyond words.  But when you forget this, and think you are special because you know more than others, or can do things someone else can’t then, yeah, the ego has definitely hijacked your consciousness. 

So watch to see how often you try to prove yourself, debate, correct and interrupt others, and generally how much your ego feeds off thoughts about how talented, clever and amazing you are compared with others. 

In the next article of this mini-series on ego, we will explore how social media, popularity, privileges, and wealth can trap us.

Om Shanti.