The Ego in Everyday Life – Blessing or Curse?

Mention the word “ego” to people and you certainly get a variety of reactions, spanning the gamut of responses. To some, the ego represents the blessing of being part of humanity and to others it may seem like a “curse.”

The concept of ego has a multitude of definitions. The dictionary defines it as the “I” or self of any person; distinguishing itself from the selves of others and from objects of its thoughts.

The Freudian understanding is quite different. It is believed that the ego is part of the personality that mediates the demands of the id, the superego and reality.

The Freudian ego supposedly prevents us from acting impulsively on our very basic urges, helping us behave with some form of normalcy and tact. For example, without the ego, if someone takes a parking spot that you were waiting for, you would simply get out of your car, go over and confront the other person. You might even exert physical force on the other driver in retaliation. Since we have an ego, we know (at least most of us) that this course of action is not the way to go.

I believe we do need our egos to survive here in the physical plane. They make us who we are as unique individuals. They help us persevere in the midst of all the challenges, choices and confusion that we face on a regular basis.

We need to consider our egos in a a gentle, caring and diplomatic way. It is when ones ego takes over in a non-compassionate, unkind way, expanding to give one a controlling, belligerent worldview of intolerance that this facet of our personality becomes a negative one. Thus, the expression such as: “He’s so egotistical. He thinks he is better than everyone else.”

Are you familiar with the idea that the word EGO is just an acronym for “Edge God Out?” When one’s ego dominates in such a way as to cause a person to believe in separation and duality, then he has truly edged out any connection with the Divine.

As a holistic healing practitioner, I embrace the concept of letting my ego step aside while I am facilitating a healing session. I do believe that the most effective sessions are when I relax my own preconceived notions of what needs to be healed, and let a Higher Power determine exactly what healing is appropriate for my client.

However, in every day life, our egos serve an essential role, as long as we keep them in check.

To bring balance and harmony into our ego-driven lives, the inspirational masters and teachers advise us to “drop down into our heart space.” This way we can gain a more open, Divinely-connected and compassionate perspective.

So if we strive for balance between our egos and our soul-selves, with a healthy, confident sense of who we are as well as compassion for others, perhaps that is the place of greatest joy for us here in the physical plane.

What do you think? What is your take on the human ego? Is it a virtue or a vice, a blessing or a curse? Please take a moment to leave a comment here — thank you in advance!

Affirmations:

• I am happy and confident with who I am, and I feel secure in my joyful connections with others.
• I let my ego guide me in a positive, gentle and compassionate way.
• I strive to achieve the balance between taking nurturing care of my self and loving care of others.