The ego is a limited belief system
within your mind that you have molded
and identified as being the real you.
The ego survives by establishing
boundaries, borders and limits on
everything it sees. The defining of
such boundaries, borders and limits
gives it the illusion that it can tell
you what is right and wrong, all in an
effort to control you by instructing
you on what you are and are not, how
you should act and not act, and why
you should judge those who challenge
it; the status quo. You are taught the
right and wrong way to do things, the
right and wrong way to react. Because
you learn from the outside world, you
believe that truth lies outside of you.
Judgment and fear feed the ego,
generating numerous perceived
weaknesses and limitations you believe
you must defend as real. The more time
you spend in defense of the ego and
your limitations, the more you believe
that this is who you are. And because
you see this ego as real and
representing yourself, you defend it
against anyone you perceive as
attacking it. In your mind any view
that does not support it attacks it.
You perceive the attacks
(disagreements with your belief
system) on your ego and its illusion
as real, and so you become defensive.
The more time you spend defending your
false or ego-self, the more you
reaffirm its reality. The more you
reaffirm its reality, the more willing
you are to come to its defense. The
more you defend the illusion of the
ego-self as real, the more concepts
and ideas you will encounter in the
world that donâ??t fit into your
reality. You perceive different
concepts and ideas as assaults to your
reality. You defend your ego-self,
through the act of judgment. The
exercise of judgment separates you
from your fellow brother or sister
causing stress that may be conscious
or unconscious. Stress creates
confusion, and a build up of confusion
ultimately leads to chaos.
You feel that by defending your
beliefs, you strengthen them. Yet the
more you defend them, the more they
weaken you. The more time you spend in
defense of your ego-self, the more
time you will exist in a state of
confusion. You might give your state
of confusion a hundred different
names, such as annoyance, anger,
stress, sadness, depression, but they
all exist because of your belief in
the egoâ??s reality. They all exist
within your mind and are fed and kept
alive by your belief in your ego-self.
Your tolerance for pain may be high
but your acceptance of your ego-self
is not without limit. You will come to
a point in your life where you will
tell yourself that there must be a
better way, a more fulfilling way of
living that this just canâ??t be what
itâ??s all about! These thoughts begin
the process of awakening yourself to
the knowledge of who you truly are.
