The Ego and the Self Respect

The ego is a so much talked about , some philosphers say that one should throw away ones ego. Some say that the moment you actually throw away your ego, you are dead. Because the ego is the basis of your whole persona.


I do not really know about philosphers....they keep writing out of their own experiences. I write out of my experience.

The ego which actually one has to throw away is the one which stops you from connecting with others. While walking in your office, you have smiled to a known person, the person did not return your smile, your ego is hurt. You have closed yourself for that person. Now you will open up only if that person comes to you and initiate a smile, or initiate a talk or conveys something good to you. This is the crux of the problem. The cobwebs formed by a prejudiced ego is really to demand the attention and to maintain in usual but wrongful terminology “Self Respect”

Now what is ‘Self Respect” ? Self respect arises out of believing in one self and is not affected by somebody else. Self respect will not build anybody’s ego.

Truly Ego is formed out of the conscious state of mind ever since we got into our senses as a child. True Ego is the awareness about oneself. I am aware about myself as a person, “ I am average looking”; “ I am friendly with all” ; “I am very smart” …all these are the awareness and opinions formed by Self which constitute the ego.

Now the ego which inhibits us, constrains us and close down our good self to be seen by others are only part information about self. We are made to feel through out mental conditioning. “ I am very important”; “ I am always judicious” ; “ I know the right way to communicate”. Once some one does not smile at you, you are thrown out of gear. You are not sure, if something is wrong with you. A hole is poked up in your false ego. Then you just reinforce that belief in your mind that “I am correct” and you would like to plug that hole by closing yourself to that person.

The problem is that you do not have the right sense of Self respect. A person who has true Self respect does not get hurt superficially by others. The true self respect is to understand that all are same and we are one out of the same. The belief has to be there about oneself, but the right belief is required. One has to understand that everyone is passing through the same school of life and there may in inclusions, omissions in anyone’s behaviour, communication, maturity …so many factors. So the smile that you could not solicit may be a part of any of these factors or else that person really does not like you. Everything is fine. You still are what you were. The society is not a mirror of your true self. Your internal belief is the true mirror.

A prostitute knows that there is no point in keeping a false ego. Many clients would not like her. But she can maintain the Self respect , so that she can live for the other day without closing herself for others.

A true saint or a truly knowledgeable person would not get his ego hurt if someone questions his knowledge. If the knowledge has arisen from his with in, then he knows that the knowledge is true. If that person has accumulated second hand information from books then he can get in doubt. Because there is no belief…there is no Self respect…

People

I see only two types around me i.e. everywhere in black and white.

The brave and the timid

The expressive and the zombies.

The alive and better be dead.

If you are first category..better write something on blog and then leave...
If you are second category, then I need not ask you anything...

If you are from a grey area...then there is a task for you...go and find out who you are????