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Lightningfractal
Nutcase
Registered: 06/24/03
Posts: 14,899
Loc: Heaven and Hell
Last seen: 11 years, 1 month
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So what's wrong with ego?
#3061971 - 08/28/04 01:02 PM (19 years, 7 months ago) |
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I think it's cool having a self.
Am I evil?
-------------------- Hi how's it going, wanna kick Heroin basically painlessly on your own, in your own house, without any government "help" ,or the "help" of a crazy condescending, judgmental medical doctor? Read this: https://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php?Cat=0&Board=42&Number=7342616&page=0&fpart=all
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Muppet
Nomadic Jester
Registered: 08/14/02
Posts: 28,785
Loc: (523) 327-2836
Last seen: 13 years, 2 months
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yes .......... Thus Spake Muppet
-------------------- Ravings of a Madman
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Zahid
Stranger
Registered: 01/21/02
Posts: 4,779
Last seen: 19 years, 5 months
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You can enjoy yourself without it.
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BlueCoyote
Beyond
Registered: 05/07/04
Posts: 6,697
Loc: Between
Last seen: 3 years, 2 months
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(I think) Our ego is here for us to experience freedom and the consequences of it. It diverts us from the 'all' to take our own responsibilities. (I hope) Finally this will lead to a re-group, re-bound of many egos to a new responsible community. So the worsest (fall of satan, bringing the sin) will lead to the best again.
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Zahid
Stranger
Registered: 01/21/02
Posts: 4,779
Last seen: 19 years, 5 months
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Re: So what's wrong with ego? [Re: BlueCoyote]
#3062130 - 08/28/04 01:44 PM (19 years, 7 months ago) |
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The ego only serves to protect itself against the egos of other people.
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BlueCoyote
Beyond
Registered: 05/07/04
Posts: 6,697
Loc: Between
Last seen: 3 years, 2 months
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Re: So what's wrong with ego? [Re: Zahid]
#3062174 - 08/28/04 02:04 PM (19 years, 7 months ago) |
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Quote:
Zahid said: The ego only serves to protect itself against the egos of other people.
Yes, in a way, freedom is kind of that, but I wouldn't neutrally call it protection...more seperation. You can decide for yourself, what you think and do about the egos of others.
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sandar
medium wheel
Registered: 06/04/04
Posts: 18
Loc: Washington
Last seen: 19 years, 1 month
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After spending several hours in the exhausting state of ego loss while tripping, I'm usually glad to have a Self to return to.
I feel that a large part of the human experience is specialization. We are given a broad range of resources and knowledge to draw from, and part of the process from birth to death is making use of these things -- to further technology, to make increasingly awesome creations, and to change the human condition.
I can look around my apartment right now, and realize that everything in it -- even something as advanced as this computer -- came out of the earth. It seems to me that we are just busy little organisms, extracting resources and refining them, crystallizing our planet over time. Perhaps without ego, we wouldn't bother with refining our resources to this degree. I cannot say if this is an inherently good or bad process, or if we would be better off living with no personal boundaries.
In my current mixed state of knowledge and ignorance, I feel that what we define as "ego" is largely a result of language. It's just another step along the evolutionary path -- necessary for humans to continue specializing and refining their body, their minds, and their surroundings.
Personally, I enjoy having boundaries as a "default state". Experiencing each moment in a human body is quite agreeable to me.
-------------------- The grass was juicier than ever, the days were bright, and the nights full of stars...
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Zahid
Stranger
Registered: 01/21/02
Posts: 4,779
Last seen: 19 years, 5 months
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Re: So what's wrong with ego? [Re: BlueCoyote]
#3062210 - 08/28/04 02:20 PM (19 years, 7 months ago) |
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Exactly!
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gettinjiggywithit
jiggy
Registered: 07/20/04
Posts: 7,469
Loc: Heart of Laughter
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Re: So what's wrong with ego? [Re: sandar]
#3062328 - 08/28/04 03:10 PM (19 years, 7 months ago) |
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Awesome Sandar! You understand the refinery system and related it to ego for me! Very insightful of you!
-------------------- Ahuwale ka nane huna.
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TheHateCamel
Research &Development -DBK
Registered: 01/31/03
Posts: 15,738
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Re: So what's wrong with ego? [Re: sandar]
#3062357 - 08/28/04 03:19 PM (19 years, 7 months ago) |
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Quote:
sandar said: It's just another step along the evolutionary path -- necessary for humans to continue specializing and refining their body, their minds, and their surroundings.
I was just thinking that a while ago.
The ego was the obvious next step in evolution, a simple step too. It's a very minor jump that leads us to believe that we are seperate from everything. It's interesting as hell.
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gettinjiggywithit
jiggy
Registered: 07/20/04
Posts: 7,469
Loc: Heart of Laughter
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I think the only time people see it as being a "bad" thing is when one gets so absorbed in it, they actually beleive they are not many of the ONE and believe they are just one of the many and go to shoot others in the foot never realising they shot their own foot.
It has many useful purposes in the big scheme of things beyond rendering one blind to our interconnectness.
If someone handed you a bunch of raw materials and asked you to show them everything you can possibly concieve of to make out of these things you would produce x amount. A billion people would produce that many times more creations.
Ego's and our individual experinces allow for us to be independant co-creators in the game and is a very efficient way of achieving many goals such as:
How many ways are there to know and show love?
How many ways are there to know show and over come fear?
To what hieghts can intellectual or creative potential become realised?
How many ways can I experience and know the scope and depth of my emotions?
How many ways can I get a good look at what I can become?
You get the idea.
This ties into what sander was highlighting.
-------------------- Ahuwale ka nane huna.
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sandar
medium wheel
Registered: 06/04/04
Posts: 18
Loc: Washington
Last seen: 19 years, 1 month
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Very thoughtful reply, gettinjiggywithit.
Ego seems to be necessary, or at least very important, in maintaining our physical presence.
I believe the old proverb goes, "Before enlightenment, chop wood and carry water; after enlightenment, chop wood and carry water."
I view Ego as another factor in the human condition -- a resource and a tool. I believe it's good for individuals to realize that there are experiences to be had beyond their own egos; however, the goal is not to abolish the ego entirely, or somehow live beyond it. To paraphrase McKenna, we want to build bridges, not sail off!
-------------------- The grass was juicier than ever, the days were bright, and the nights full of stars...
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kaiowas
lest we baguette
Registered: 07/14/03
Posts: 5,501
Loc: oz
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Re: So what's wrong with ego? [Re: sandar]
#3062629 - 08/28/04 04:37 PM (19 years, 6 months ago) |
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there's nothing wrong with the ego at all, it's jsut that many of us aren't in control of it. we "fly off the handle" even in our moment by moment experience in our lives because our ego provides our self righteous anger.
the ego is like a filter, and it along with the rational mind is what takes all the input we recieve, and provides us with our feelings of reality. Reality is neither good nor bad, but that's not how our ego sees it.
The ego is necessary while we were growing, so we know what NOT to touch, where NOT to go, and what NOT to do. but as we grow older, we don't need to use it as often as we do, yet most of us use it way too often. think of the ego like a 5th grader in the back of our minds, telling us what is what. the ego is constantly bantering us with what "ought to be" and so we get trapped in second by second emotional games we play with ourselves.
the ego is our source of judgement, and when we judge ourselves, we also create the victim within ourselves. In essence, we create self torture, everytime we judge ourselves or other people. this is why people who judge a lot become depressed. it's like feeding off of our own energy, and it is quite sick actually when we grasp the full concet of this.
the first thing to do is realize you are not your ego, you are not your personality, and that you don't need to be constantly judging everything. it's expells way too much energy and keep us from the bliss that we could be achieving the second by second moments of our lives. a relaxed ego, an ego that isn't constantly working, is a healthy one, and in turn we will become healthy. after all, we don't need to use it often, if at all.
you can use the ego to help better yousrself as a person. everytime you feel a negative emotion, it can click in your mind that "hey, I am making myself feel uncomfortable, and I don't need to do this to myself at all." then you can look at what happen that got you to feel ta certain way. The next thing to do is to take responsibility, and realize it is you making yourself feel negative, not reality or your experience.
but someone pressed my buttons...no your ego allowed them to but i didn't get what I want...yeah...and in life we win some and lose some, so why depend on it for your happiness but..but...the ego can make tons of excuses, and so like a 5th grader we will stay in a lower center of thinking.
after you are done lookign at what happen that triggered your ego, you can make a mental note to yourself that it was you making yourself feel bad, and that you need to work on it mentally. you won't achieve iot the first time, but through repetition (which is how we learn most things) we will see ourselves not get mad when reality presents us with the same situation.
in essence, our lives will become our best teacher.
so the ego isn't bad, it's just keep us from a state of mind we can all achieve...and that is bliss. if a lot of us can do this...we would have heaven on earth.
-------------------- Annnnnnd I had a light saber and my friend was there and I said "you look like an indian" and he said "you look like satan" and he found a stick and a rock and he named the rock ooga booga and he named the stick Stick and we both thought that was pretty funny. We got eaten alive by mosquitos but didn't notice til the next day. I stepped on some glass while wading in the swamp and cut my foot open, didn't bother me til the next day either....yeah it was a good time, ended the night by buying some liquor for minors and drinking nips and going to he diner and eating chicken fingers, and then I went home and went to bed.
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Divided_Sky
Ten ThousandThings
Registered: 11/02/03
Posts: 3,171
Loc: The Shining Void
Last seen: 15 years, 9 months
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There is definately a reason we have a sense of self, just like there is a reason we have a sense of order, past, present and future. I think our existence is to put meaning and form into the inherently empty Universe.
The problem is that the Ego, is not our real self, and causes us a whole lot of problems. Ego is the hypothetical self that makes you selfish and unhappy that we have to get around. But just because someone transcends their ego doesn't mean you have to transcend the reality of your person, or the memories and preferences that form it. I think that you can be you in the most deep and true sense, but also not-you at the same time. It's like by losing yourself, you find yourself as both you individualy, and as a part of the universe.
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tnecseda
birther to none
Registered: 06/01/04
Posts: 349
Last seen: 19 years, 3 months
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Re: So what's wrong with ego? [Re: kaiowas]
#3063565 - 08/28/04 09:43 PM (19 years, 6 months ago) |
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well said
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Huehuecoyotl
Fading Slowly
Registered: 06/13/04
Posts: 10,689
Loc: On the Border
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The idea of ego-loss is impossible to acheive without the death of the organism. Your ego is what is presented to the outside world. The buddhist strives towards self-realization, which is confused with ego loss. Self realization is when we see our place in the order of things. We see that the universe is not centered on our self and we proceed to behave accordingly. The ego itself is not bad as long as it has the proper focus.
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Ravus
Not an EggshellWalker
Registered: 07/18/03
Posts: 7,991
Loc: Cave of the Patriarchs
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Thinking that the ego is wrong is a creation of the ego.
The ego creates duality, by making everything "us vs. them," "right vs. wrong," "good vs. evil." Without the ego everything is unified and becomes one, and we stop worrying and causing so much needless suffering to ourselves.
Though most people's egos automatically feel threatened by losing the ego, as they will lose their hate, their defensiveness, their racism, and so on, and so assume that they will be left defenseless and will automatically die!
-------------------- So long as you are praised think only that you are not yet on your own path but on that of another.
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zorbman
blarrr
Registered: 06/04/04
Posts: 5,952
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The ego is what makes us individuals. It is the false ego which must be eliminated.
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zorbman
blarrr
Registered: 06/04/04
Posts: 5,952
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Re: So what's wrong with ego? [Re: Huehuecoyotl]
#3063940 - 08/28/04 11:45 PM (19 years, 6 months ago) |
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The idea of ego-loss is impossible to acheive without the death of the organism. Actually it IS possible and many, many people have achieved that state through various drugs, near death experiences, etc. However it is not possible to function as a human being in a state of ego loss.
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tnecseda
birther to none
Registered: 06/01/04
Posts: 349
Last seen: 19 years, 3 months
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if you had a definiton like this
apple=one orange=2
that is ego
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