I Am The Ego

What is Ego? How many of you believe that you have an ego? What does ego look like? Have we ever thought of understanding the ego? How many of you have figured out that the ego dwells in you? Is the ego just a myth or a reality? The term ego everyone is familiar with, but most of you have not understood what its function is or how the ego operates in one. Since childhood, we have been hearing that we should sacrifice ego or give away, but have we been successful in doing that? If you say that I do not have an ego or if you accept that I have an ego, in both cases, you have an ego, because I am the Ego.

Let us first understand what is ego? Ego is a thought or idea which has no reality in it. It does not have any existence until we start believing it. It is pure nothing and has no substance in it. If we withdraw our belief, the ego automatically disappears. The ego makes us think that whatever is happening in and around us, is possible because we have a role to play for it. The moment we think that I am doing this task or some work, the ego is developed in the mind. The ego is generated when we see ourselves as I. No other animal on the planet has an ego except humans. When the child is born, he is so pure and natural. Slowly the parents, schools, colleges and working institutions start developing the ego within him. For centuries, we have been believing that life is a struggle and only the fittest survive. The Darwinian theory of evolution has developed a mindset, deep unconscious conditioning that life is a continuous struggle. The deep thoughts are conditioned in the child’s mind that only the strong egos will survive and that is the root where the ego is born. This ego is nourished and taken care of by society. More the achievements a child has, more is the ego developed within.

Society has always confused the people by showcasing its duality. On one hand, it says to drop or sacrifice the ego, to be as humble as possible and on the other hand, it cultivates the seeds of the ego since childhood. The ego does not exist and the one which has no existence cannot be dropped or sacrificed. The ego is just an idea that comes to life when we start believing it. The moment we try to sacrifice the ego, which in the first place has no existence, we create a new ego. The ego of being humble, the ego of being egoless is created within. The man who thinks that he has dropped his ego still carries with him within. The ego still exists at a more subtle level. The ego of an ordinary person is far better than that of a saint. The saint has decorated its ego under the name of religion and holiness. It is so covered within that, he is not aware of the fact that he is a pious egoist. The sinner’s ego is very gross, and it can be understood and sacrificed easily as compared to the saint. Sacrificing the ego is not the solution. One must understand it, look deep into it, analyze it, and observe it. One must develop the absolute awareness to observe it. If you become aware of its presence, then you can become certain to drop it or sacrifice it. The belief of egoless or sacrificing the ego won't get you to release from it.

From where the ego gains momentum? The ego receives its energy because of the desires a human has. The poor want to be rich, the sinner wants to be a saint, the ignorant want to be wise, and so on. The desires continue and the ego gains its momentum. The ego always has its peak in the tension between your current status and your desires of being something. I want to be this and that is what gives energy to your ego. The ego stands based on the past and future. I did this, I did that, I will occupy this, or I will achieve that, are the claims of the ego-based on the past and the future. If you become aware of its existence, you will see that the ego does not exist in the present. We should learn to accept ourselves the way we are, the state in which existence has kept us. The will of existence should be our will. When we drop that letter I, the ego evaporates.

- Dr. Dhananjay Patel