This thing Called – – EGO

Posted by on May 16, 2024 in Blog, Western Insight | Comments Off on This thing Called – – EGO

Here is an excerpt from a longer article  by Craig Hamilton.
The link to the total article is at the bottom of this post

Question:

Does the ego ever come into alignment with the evolutionary impulse? And if so, what happens to it? Does it go away or dissolve?

It depends which ego you’re talking about. Ego is a term that is used in different ways, by different people to mean different things. So when you hear the word ego, you might have a certain set of reference points, but they might not reflect the definition of ego that I’m using.

So there are many different ways that people talk about ego, but for the purposes of this conversation, there are two main definitions: the psychological and the spiritual.

The psychological definition, which originated with Sigmund Freud, talks about ego as the functional center of the psyche. It’s the organizing principle of the self that allows us to engage with the world. It’s where our values and commitments live. It’s our psychological center, which allows us to make good, healthy, mature choices, and not just be ruled by our primitive impulses or by the influence of others. That kind of ego is something that never goes away.

But the definition of ego commonly used by spiritual teachers is something altogether different. Ego, in this context, is your self-image. It’s your story about yourself. But it’s even more than that. Ego, in this context, is the emotional investment you have in your self-image. It’s your attachment to the story you tell about yourself that causes you to defend it, no matter what.

[click here for the full article]

Posted by | Paul Reynolds

“Not Christian or Jew or Muslim, not Hindu, Buddhist, Sufi, or Zen. Not any religion or cultural system…..” - Rumi

For over 30 years Paul Reynolds has collected and shared inspiration from a wide variety of sources. Embracing the philosophy that at the core of all these expressions is the reminder that we are loved and supported every moment. This unending stream of inspiration, imagination and wisdom is posted via his weekly ‘Living the Question Blog’, which has become ‘home’ for those discoveries. If you would like to receive the readings and share them with those you feel will benefit, please fill out the ‘Subscribe’ form to the right and Paul’s selections will come to your email every Friday.

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