NOTICING YOUR EGO IN ACTION
Critical note: It's important not lose sight of the fact that we need the Egoic thinking patterns. That logical, rational, analytical way of thinking is a critical tool for our survival. Again, the problem is that the Ego has taken control of our thinking, usurping the Essential Self. This is a call for higher-level management.
Aside: I heard the Ego likened to the mail clerk who was promoted to CEO with no understanding of, nor aptitude for, managing the business. Another great Ego metaphor is the computer, Hal, in the movie 2001, taking over the spaceship. (Egoic thinking "takes over" our perception of reality.)
Noticing when your Ego is "front and center" in the Theater of your Mind is the first step in being able to manage what happens in the Theater. In this section of the journey, the Ego is revealed as its portrait is painted, brush stroke by brush stroke. AS YOU EXPLORE THE BRUSH STROKES, NOTICE THOSE ASPECTS OF THE EGO OPERATING IN YOUR OWN LIFE.
A PORTRAIT OF THE EGO SELF
The little voice in your head is the voice of the Ego.
You are intimately familiar with the voice of the Ego. You pay attention to its little voice in your head almost all the time. You think you are thinking, but it is the Ego thinking. You identify with the Ego thoughts as if you were listening to your Self.
The Ego is a 'meaning making machine".
Your Ego looks out at the world AND INTERPRETS what is happening i.e., makes meaning. Its interpretations are derived from its system of beliefs. You typically believe that its interpretations are the truth; therefore, it structures your reactions and behavior.
The Ego thinks dualistically
Fundamentally, the Ego sees the world dualistically... to the ego things are either/or: either right or wrong, good or bad, for or against. It makes judgments based on that criteria. Therefore, if you are not for something, you must be against it. If you are right, then others (who think differently) must be wrong. If you think something is bad, then it can't be good. With your Ego in control, you take positions and defend them, sometimes with great intensity.
The Ego is a writer of dramas.
Sometimes when things happen, your Ego makes up a story/ drama, based on its belief system, that explains what happened (is happening). You participate in these dramas as if they were real and feel the feelings they evoke. This is a game your Ego plays and you get trapped in the drama.
The Ego dwells in survival mode
The ego takes the position that it must be right in order to survive. This makes it difficult to surrender a position. Some people would die to be right or said another way, some people would rather die than be wrong.
(Take an objective look at what's happening in the world today from this point of view. Who's running the show???) What positions do you fight for?
The ego sees through the lens of causality.
The Ego is always looking for who or what is the cause in the situation. There is always someone or something at cause.
Groups can share Ego-structured belief systems
Groups of people can share a common belief system that takes a position and defends it as the RIGHT position. When this happens there is no "listening" for anything that does not fit into that belief system.
The Ego thinks hierarchically.
People and things are constantly being ranked by the Ego. From the Ego's perspective, some people are better than others; some things are better than other things; you are better or worse than other people. It is just the nature of the Egoic program to perceive things in this way.
The Ego is exclusive.
Many times when people or ideas are not in agreement with an egoic system of beliefs, they are excluded. Notice how difficult it is to be open to people that have emotionally-backed beliefs that are the opposite of yours. Check out who or what you exclude and include.
The Ego is designed to debate issues.
Debates are about who is right. Egos look For what is wrong about another's point of view. Some people think conversations are "food for arguments."
Identification with the Ego.
When you identify with your Ego, you know yourself as a role: a wife, husband, mother, teacher, Christian, Liberal/ Conservative, etc. You don't have a Point of View, you ARE your Point of View.
Before we explore who you would be BEING as your Essential Self, we will inquire into the energy field of the Ego self. click on Distinguishing the Ego's Energy Field below.
Click on Distinguishing the Ego’s Energy Field to get to the next part of the journey.