Friend or foe ???

 

When we talk about ego in this world, it’s more often than not referred as a selfish, hateful and almost evil quality. “He/she has an inflated ego”, is not said in a way that is open to perception. So is our ego the force in us that brings out a side of us that isn’t of love and compassion? Or is it that we fall into a mind trap and manipulate our egos voice ?
Let’s use the analogy of a space suit. An astronaut cannot go out and explore space without wearing a space suit for protection. Similarly when we come into this world where there is love but there is also hatred, there is good but there is also evil..The much important contrast which helps us perceive everything, We wouldn’t survive unless we had our egos to protect us. Whose primary job is to protect us  from getting hurt no matter what it takes. For example, when u have a fight with a close one and you are hurting , the ego will make you see how it was mainly the other person’s fault and not yours. Let’s face it, that makes us a feel a whole lot better than realising we were in the wrong.
Think of the ego as an over protective mother who wouldn’t let her child go on a climbing frame as she’s afraid of an accident and obviously wants to protect her child. She might prevent an accident but in the process the child is also prevented from the experience. So every time the ego steps in, if we could all say “thank u , but I got this , I will be just fine” , then our overprotective guide won’t hold us back from our soul growth.

So is  Ego really : friend or foe ?..Well isn’t it both??

Neelima Thukral