What is the Ego?

Did you ever wonder who you were, what identified you?

Most of us use specifics to define us, such as gender, color, nationality, religious belief, money, address, job title, or some other parameter. But do these things define us? Is what we do, what we look like or where we live determine who we are?

I can’t imagine so.

In my book, From Pain To Peace, I discussed an example of how in today’s medical world, one could have both legs removed, both arms, as well as a kidney and still be alive. Yet, should such a surgery occur, would the person who had it no longer be who they once were? This hypothetical post-surgical question lends itself to the direct question: Who or what are we?

I believe we are not our gender, skin color or job title. We are not even our body. Perhaps such a statement will not appear as a news flash to some of my readers. Plato himself was alluding to such a consideration in his Allegory of the Cave circa 450 B.C.

So, if bodies are not who we are, then there must be an explanation, a theoretical one as least, which would provide a framework for understanding our physical selves and our psychological egos. Some type of explanation that would shed light on our conflicted human identities from a spiritual slant.

Well here is that slant.

Beyond the world of time and space, the ego is nothing more than an idea of being separate from God.

At this metaphysical level, our mind seems “split in two,” and one of the splits buys into the ego’s idea of separation, accepting it not just as an idea but as true.

Our split mind believing that the ego’s idea of separation is true, results in thoughts of sin, guilt and fear. These thoughts imply we did something bad, which we feel guilty for and are now afraid of future punishment.

The experience of these mind-level thoughts of sin, guilt and fear result in a “state of mind” that is truly unbearable. Our split mind’s defensive solution to address such a fearful state was to deny it, and project these thoughts outward.

Known by scientists as the “Big Bang,” this “mind” projection made up the entire universe of time, space and individual separated “ego” selves.

Each one of us, psychologically unaware we are projected ego thoughts of the mind, identifies with our respective bodies and mistakenly conclude that this is who we are. We have come to believe the world made us, never aware that our split mind made the world as well as our projected identities within it.

The inherent problem with the ego’s mind-level defensive solution to project sin, guilt and fear outward, is that this denied guilt seeps into our everyday lives. The ego’s solution to our “human experience” of guilt was to continue its defense mechanism of projection.

We as identifying individuals continually project this inner guilt onto the world around us. This projected guilt takes the form of human problems such as constant neediness, difficult relationships, physical shortcomings, illness, financial woes, political strife or anything else we want to blame for our earthly dis-ease.

Our projections onto the world around us are to the ego’s delight. We spend much of our time trying to solve these worldly problems and never turn within to see where the real problem is. The problem is always our mistaken belief in the ego’s idea of separation. This in turn keeps the ego in place and prevents us from recognizing our true nature, which is one with God.

What is one to do with this spiritual slant?

Nothing really. Just be aware of how one operates. The next time you are upset about anything, just understand that what is bothering you is simply your projected guilt. Be aware too, who you think you are, may not be you at all.

This type of thinking empowers you because it puts you in control and responsible for how you feel. You will be less defensive because you will recognize that whatever is upsetting you truly has no power to do so. Further, you will have less attachment to the world around you and those things you think define you.

This is not to suggest one stops believing in their human identity or is not involved in human concerns. But, it does offer a person the option to consider that while we live our human lives, we don’t have to manage, manipulate and control the world around us for peace to be present. Peace always stems from remembering who we are as one with our Source.

It is up to each of us to choose to look at ourselves differently. That is where free will rests. We don’t have to let our bodies or our psychological ego tell us who we are.

We have a mind for that.

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