Massimo2002
Active Member
And is it possible for a human to get rid of their ego ?
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Why do humans have ego ?
- Thread starter Massimo2002
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- psychology
Humans have ego as a result of fear, attachment, and desire. I'm not sure if the ego can be gotten rid of entirely, but it can certainly be brought under control and managed to a point where it's a non-issue.
Massimo2002
Active Member
That's good to know because it seems to me that ego is a bad thing but then this leads to another question how can an ego be managed and brought under control ?
Mindfulness, Self-awareness, and empathy. For me, meditation has been an invaluable tool.
Massimo2002
Active Member
I think that is probably hard for most people because you have to actively keep those things in mind and act on them probably too much effort for most people I'm guessing.
I would agree with you on this point.
Why would one want to? What problem are you addressing? A healthy, self-confident ego can be an asset. Meekness is a poverty of ego, and by meekness I don't mean politeness or humility, but a pathological inability to take a stand and assert oneself where one should for lack of courage and self-esteem.
Maybe you meant cultivate the ego so that it serves oneself and others.
Schopenhauer and Heidegger would speak of lack of humility.
Being at a very low degree of spiritual awareness.
Like animals... that have an infinite ego not because they are selfish, but because they possess instinct exclusively.
Survival instinct.
We get rid of ego as soon as we realize that the other 8 billion people on Earth are as important as we are.
But that must be something mutual: I recognize you are as important as me, and you recognize I am as important as you.
Being at a very low degree of spiritual awareness.
Like animals... that have an infinite ego not because they are selfish, but because they possess instinct exclusively.
Survival instinct.
We get rid of ego as soon as we realize that the other 8 billion people on Earth are as important as we are.
But that must be something mutual: I recognize you are as important as me, and you recognize I am as important as you.
Excessive volition is destructive and self-destructive.
There need to be limits.
Because through excessive volition, people commit crimes out of greed.
I posted a thread about a Cardinal's greed.
I wish all the people of the world were meek.
There would be no evil in this world.
Courage is not always useful: prudence saves your life.
Excessive courage leads you to self-destruction.
Agreed, but remember, the OP is not referencing taming or subduing the ego, but eliminating it. Insufficient volition is also destructive (see below).
Only when accompanied by foolhardiness (poor judgment). Courage paired with wisdom is an asset.
Maybe we have a different understanding of what meekness is. I've defined it as a poverty of spirit, courage, and self-confidence, which are distinct concepts from some related but different ideas, such as being polite, being humble, and amenable to compromise - all virtues. Meekness is a different concept.
Take a look at Milton (fictional character), the poster child for poverty of spirit and 'doormattery.' Watch this guy being ineffectual at asserting himself. There is nothing blessed about meekness. Ask Milton:
Insufficient volition harms nobody.
We are not clones.
We have different DNAs, so there are people with excessive volition, and people with normal volition.
For example...if the people of the Silicon Valley bank had been less courageous, there would have never been the Collapse of the SVB.
Unfortunately...there are too many courageous people on this world.
Who make too many children in a world with very, very finite resources.
Excessive courage is destroying the world.
We are not all equal, fortunately.
I would have given Milton an office with window and AC system.
I would have been kind to him.
The fact that there are wicked unsympathetic people doesn't mean that it's Milton's fault.
Or the likes of Milton's fault.
Twilight Hue
Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
Brian2
Veteran Member
"Ego" seems to one of those things that can have more than one meaning.
What do you mean by "ego"?
Ego can be summed up with a sentence:
I am I, I can do anything, and you guys are nothing.
Quotation from
Massimo2002
Active Member
To be honest I'm not sure what ego is. I'm guessing it is something similar to personality.
RestlessSoul
Well-Known Member
RestlessSoul
Well-Known Member
RestlessSoul
Well-Known Member
In my opinion it’s when we begin to over-identify with the ego, that we have problems. Because in so doing, we are driven by self will, and we become lost to our deeper selves; to protect it’s own hegemony in the mind, the ego will convince us that is is the entirety of the self.
At that point, the ego, the Big I Am, devours the mind, devours the spirit, and attempts to impose it’s will upon the world, to bend all of conscious reality to fit it’s own selfish fears and desires. Like Captain Ahab in Moby Dick, who tried to bend the winds and the tides to his will, only to sink the ship and drown the crew.
At that point, the ego, the Big I Am, devours the mind, devours the spirit, and attempts to impose it’s will upon the world, to bend all of conscious reality to fit it’s own selfish fears and desires. Like Captain Ahab in Moby Dick, who tried to bend the winds and the tides to his will, only to sink the ship and drown the crew.