Let Go of Your Ego-Self!

Let Go of Your Ego-Self!

“If a man thinks he is not conceited, he is very conceited indeed.” C.S. Lewis

With no exception, we all have an ego, which defines who we are. As soon as a baby begins his or her perceptions through the five senses, that baby begins to develop an identity, such as “this toy is mine” and “I want this.” There is nothing wrong with this initial identification. However, as time progresses, the human ego continues to thrive, grow, and expand to the extent that it may become problematic, leading to the human flaw of attachment.

What is your ego-self?

What exactly is the human ego or the ego-self?

Simply look at yourself in front of a mirror. What do you see? A self reflection. Is it for real? Can you touch it? Not really; it is only a reflection of someone real—the you in front of the mirror!

Now, do something slightly different. Place a baby--if there is one immediately available—in front of the mirror. See what happens. The baby may crawl towards the baby in the mirror. Why? It is because the baby in front of the mirror thinks that the baby in the mirror is another baby, and not his or her own reflection.

Likewise, the ego-self looks real, but it is not real To think otherwise is only self-deception.

Your ego-self is unreal

Descartes, the great French philosopher, made his famous statement: “I think, therefore I am.” Accordingly, you think and you then become what you think you are—the byproducts of all your thoughts and your own thinking. Unfortunately, this famous statement by Descartes is only partially true: it is true that you identify yourself with your thoughts projected into your thinking mind; but it is not true that your identities thus created by your thoughts and your own thinking truly reflect your true self. The fact of the matter is that you are not your thoughts, and your thoughts are not you.e

The wisdom of letting go

The human ego is unreal: it is only a reflection of your own thoughts; that is, your ego-self is what you think or hope you are.

Let go of your ego-self to become the real you!

Stephen Lau     

Copyright© by Stephen Lau