- By Milan K Sinha
The national as well as international events of public importance keep on providing us the chance to have glimpses of ‘Ego’ tussle among renowned public figures on some issue or the other which is followed by accusation and counter accusation from parties in position and opposition.
We also know, due to this simple looking three letter word EGO, many wars have been fought, many countries disintegrated, many negotiations failed, many friends fell apart, many homes turned into houses of disharmony, numerous divorce took place, many sleepless nights spent, many talents spoiled and what not.
The famous author Adrian Cooper writes, "The ego is responsible for many negative human traits, including but certainly not limited to being critical and judgemental of others, being rigid and inflexible, being manipulative, need to feel superior, feeling anxious and fearful, mood swings, taking everything too personally, taking everything too seriously, constant need for approval and praise, feeling hurried and driven to do things, competing rather than cooperating, feeling resentful and guilty, unable to live in the present moment, addictions to alcohol, tobacco and other Mind altering substances, overly concerned with personal appearance, overly concerned with success, feeling insecure, constant worry over trivialities, clinging to the past, feelings of despair and hopelessness, feeling life is meaningless, and the need for power over others. All of these are seriously negative human traits and ones that can easily make a person’s life a misery".
The list is endless, yet we continue to be the slave of this most unique virtue (?) of mankind which, of course, Sigmund Freud says in these words, "Where id was, there shall ego be." Interestingly, however, the conflict between 'ego' and 'our true self' too goes on ceaselessly till the end of our last breath in this world.
Before dwelling further on this deliberation, let us enjoy the following three quotes of these well-known personalities on the subject:
It is very interesting as well as intriguing that despite knowing fully well that Ego is the number one enemy of mankind, we fail to shed what is unwarranted. Yes, it continues to happen because we are obsessed with the famous, 'I' Thought which Sri Ramana Maharshi described when inquired about the nature of our mind, as:
"The mind is nothing other than the 'I' thought. The mind and the ego are one and the same. 'I' (that is the 'I'-thought) am doing this, 'I' am thinking this; 'I' am feeling happy, etc. Thus, the 'I' thought is the all-important thought, since each idea or thought arises only as someone's thought and it is not known to exist independently of the ego. From where does this 'I' arise? Seek for it within; it then vanishes. This is the pursuit of wisdom. When the mind unceasingly investigates its own nature, it transpires that there is no such thing as a mind. Get rid of the 'I' thought. When 'I' ceases to exist, there is no grief and there is peace". So, he suggested that yoga and self-enquiry are two methods of controlling the mind, which he compared to an agitated bull. Yoga attempts to drive the bull with a stick, while self-enquiry coaxes it with green grass".
Medical research did prove the fact that many brain and heart diseases are ego related. Stress has been the natural outcome of this ego driven thinking, be it your work place or your home. The human history testifies this fact that no good can ever be achieved by carrying it in your head. Then, why not keep the ego away and experience the beautiful change in our life?
# Published in Patna Daily.com
The national as well as international events of public importance keep on providing us the chance to have glimpses of ‘Ego’ tussle among renowned public figures on some issue or the other which is followed by accusation and counter accusation from parties in position and opposition.We also know, due to this simple looking three letter word EGO, many wars have been fought, many countries disintegrated, many negotiations failed, many friends fell apart, many homes turned into houses of disharmony, numerous divorce took place, many sleepless nights spent, many talents spoiled and what not.
The famous author Adrian Cooper writes, "The ego is responsible for many negative human traits, including but certainly not limited to being critical and judgemental of others, being rigid and inflexible, being manipulative, need to feel superior, feeling anxious and fearful, mood swings, taking everything too personally, taking everything too seriously, constant need for approval and praise, feeling hurried and driven to do things, competing rather than cooperating, feeling resentful and guilty, unable to live in the present moment, addictions to alcohol, tobacco and other Mind altering substances, overly concerned with personal appearance, overly concerned with success, feeling insecure, constant worry over trivialities, clinging to the past, feelings of despair and hopelessness, feeling life is meaningless, and the need for power over others. All of these are seriously negative human traits and ones that can easily make a person’s life a misery".
The list is endless, yet we continue to be the slave of this most unique virtue (?) of mankind which, of course, Sigmund Freud says in these words, "Where id was, there shall ego be." Interestingly, however, the conflict between 'ego' and 'our true self' too goes on ceaselessly till the end of our last breath in this world.
Before dwelling further on this deliberation, let us enjoy the following three quotes of these well-known personalities on the subject:
- Whenever I climb, I am followed by a dog called, Ego. - Friedrich Nietzsche
- The foundation of Buddha's teachings lies in compassion and the reason for practicing the teachings is to wipe out the persistence of Ego, the number one enemy of compassion. -- Tenzin Gyatso.
- Ego has a voracious appetite, the more you feed it, the hungrier it gets. -- Nathaniel Bronner Jr.
It is very interesting as well as intriguing that despite knowing fully well that Ego is the number one enemy of mankind, we fail to shed what is unwarranted. Yes, it continues to happen because we are obsessed with the famous, 'I' Thought which Sri Ramana Maharshi described when inquired about the nature of our mind, as:
"The mind is nothing other than the 'I' thought. The mind and the ego are one and the same. 'I' (that is the 'I'-thought) am doing this, 'I' am thinking this; 'I' am feeling happy, etc. Thus, the 'I' thought is the all-important thought, since each idea or thought arises only as someone's thought and it is not known to exist independently of the ego. From where does this 'I' arise? Seek for it within; it then vanishes. This is the pursuit of wisdom. When the mind unceasingly investigates its own nature, it transpires that there is no such thing as a mind. Get rid of the 'I' thought. When 'I' ceases to exist, there is no grief and there is peace". So, he suggested that yoga and self-enquiry are two methods of controlling the mind, which he compared to an agitated bull. Yoga attempts to drive the bull with a stick, while self-enquiry coaxes it with green grass".
Medical research did prove the fact that many brain and heart diseases are ego related. Stress has been the natural outcome of this ego driven thinking, be it your work place or your home. The human history testifies this fact that no good can ever be achieved by carrying it in your head. Then, why not keep the ego away and experience the beautiful change in our life?
# Published in Patna Daily.com
Will meet again with Open Mind. All the Best.
You dealt with a very sensitive, yet one of the important parts of human characteristics. Wo kehte hai na jab ghar se bahar jao to ego darwaje pe chod ke aaya karo. This not only applies to workplace but to each and every situation.
ReplyDeleteYour opinion on this issue is very pertinent. Thanks & All the Best.
DeleteIndeed the issue is very sensitive & its been years and years ago since the psychiatrists are trying to discover the remedy, but all went in vain. However the 'I'can be easily rectified by 'i'.
ReplyDeleteYes, you are correct. All Improvements should start with 'I'. Thanks for reacting. All the Best.
DeleteIt is very simple because Ego dil se juda hota hai. Wo dimag se nahi juda hota hai. Dil ke pass dimag nahi hota but dimag ke pass dimag hota hai. Dimag sochta hai, but dil nahi sochta hai. Agar dil sochta to wo CONFLICT create nahi karta.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading & sharing your opinion on the subject. All the Best.
DeleteThe last para is very important -ego is the root cause of many mental deseases,wars.It is well known that what happened to Ravana,whose ego was at its extreme.Everyone has ego of one or the other,e.g. power,post.beauty,money,property etc.even ego of having no ego,but we have it.But god lives in the heart of those who have no ego.G.P.Tripathi.
ReplyDeleteYes, everyone is suffering from ego related problems. Nevertheless, everyone can try to overcome the ego effect to the extent possible. Thanks & All the Best.
DeleteEarler we thought sun revolved around earth. It took ages to demolish the myth.But nobody knows when the myth that the world revolves around 'I' will get demolished.The problem is, we all are patrons of this myth. rks
ReplyDeleteVery rightly said. We understand but fail to practise. Thanks & All the Best.
DeleteI remember our Professional Communication teacher explaining why "I" related conversations don't last long. It's all because we continuously keep talking about ourselves other that talking on some common interest. That's why Dale Carnegie said "Talk to someone about themselves and they'll listen for hours."
ReplyDeleteThanks for expressing your opinion in a nice & convincing manner. All the Best.
DeleteSoul concious can do miracle to wipe out the persistence of ego.Try it.SG
ReplyDeleteThanks for your enlightened opinion & advice. All the Best.
DeleteEgo is a self created hurdle which very often stands as a stumbling block for getting solutions of many problems. If a person can elevate his/her mental status to the level wherefrom he/she can say good bye to ego, he/she would always be a gainer.
ReplyDeleteD.Ghosh
Very rightly commented. Thanks for sharing your point of view so candidly. All the Best.
Delete