"Ego is the functioning of one's
point of view
in the attempt to cause that
point of view
to survive. The verb 'to ego' means 'to perpetuate one's
own
point of view'."
Books and books and books have been written about ego. Almost all of
what's been written and said about ego has catered to and for
academia
and for professional psychologists and psychiatrists, and for the
therapeutic and spiritual / mystical community. For the most part,
what's been written and said about ego isn't easily accessible. And
even if it were easily accessible, the material isn't in a palatable,
pragmatic format that can quickly and easily be gotten and applied to
make a profound difference in a person's life, leaving them with new
power and freedom to be and act, and with new possibilities for their
future.
Of the multitudes of distinctions and definitions Werner has
articulated and spoken into being (that is, into the listening of human
being, and into the very culture of being human on
the planet
today), arguably none is as succinct, as terse, and as useful as what
he's said about the nature of ego ie about what ego really
is.
For starters, unlike the way ego shows up in academic, psychological,
psychiatric, and therapeutic and spiritual / mystical conversations as
a noun, when Werner distinguishes ego it's clearly a
verb. To ego (as languaged in Werner's work) is to
survive by perpetuating one's own point of view.
When I distinguish ego and watch it in this no-nonsense way, I get it -
and it's completely refreshing, pragmatic, and useful.
Secondarily it lets me observe myself ego-ing (yes, try it
on as a verb) and how it runs me. Once I'm willing to observe myself
ego-ing, I can choose to go on ego-ing (that is to say I can choose to
continue being run by ego) or I can choose to generate a new
possibility for being for myself and my life: I can choose to not be
run by ego-ing ie I can choose to get off it. Even though at
first it may seem otherwise, even though at first it may seem like I
don't have a choice, if I tell the truth about it, I really do have a
choice. And it's actually a simple, straight-forward choice for which
therapy isn't required (Werner's work isn't, and doesn't require,
therapy).
Primarily it allows me to notice and to observe and to be with the
space in which ego occurs - in other words, to recognize
the being I am for whom ego-ing shows up. I start noticing the being I
am, is really distinct from ego. By watching ego in this way, I
distinguish who I am ... and ... I allow ego to be. Both.
That's powerful!
The formative purpose of mind is to protect the being. Look: mind will
do anything to protect the being. To that end, the
tyrant mind
will eventually unsurp its own purpose, and function only to protect
itself. When mind functions to protect itself rather than the
being it's supposed to protect, it's ego-ing. When it does (which is to
say when you notice it does), you can choose to thank the
tyrant,
to demote it, and to re-assign its original purpose (it's not hard to
do, once the distinction is seen).
From time to time, ego will reign supreme anyway regardless of any
attempts to demote its
tyranny.
When you're lit up by ego like a hundred watt lightbulb, just don't
deny it. Tell the truth about it. Be authentic about it. As soon as you
tell the truth about ego, you've reinstated the being in
charge, rather than ego being in charge. The oft touted mystical notion
that ego should be destroyed or purged or even fixed is
simply evidence of being unclear on the concept. Ego is as much
a critical, essential, natural component of our human structure as an
arm or a leg. The appropriate relationship to have with ego is to own
it and to be responsible for it.
