"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'."
...
This essay,
When Ego Ends,
is the companion piece to
Werner,
breaking with traditional modern psychology, distinguishes the entity
we colloquially refer to as "ego" as a verb not as a noun. Say
whut? Given our usual conceptualization of ego as a noun
(a thing) and not as a verb (a doing), that's nothing short of
extraordinary. And look, it's twice extraordinary:
firstly, it's extraordinary because we already know (that
is to say, we already are) that ego is a noun, a thing, an
object, and when everybody knows ego is a noun, a thing,
an object, it's revolutionary to re-cast it as a verb, a doing, a
process; and secondly, it's extraordinary because once you let it take
hold and you become
enrolled
in the idea that ego is a verb and not a noun, you realize the
extraordinary intellect it took to break with tradition in the first
place and distinguish ego as a verb, something that for centuries
eluded us, hiding out in plain sight as we grappled with defining ego.
But that's
Werner
for you.
When we say "He (or she) has a big ego" (ordinary noun form) it's
misleading at best. That's not
Werner's
usage. And at worst, it may not even be entirely true. It's not fully
thought through. It's not robust enough. The correct usage is closer to
"He egos a lot" (extraordinary verb form) - that is to say, ego is
something an egotist does, not a quality he has. It's not
just that
Werner
has revealed ego to be a verb and not a noun. In his scenario, an
egotist is really less a big-headed owner of a certain personality
trait, and more an orator. Like all people, who an egotist
really is, is the space in which he, an orator, does what he does. And
what an egotist does, is ego - not that he
has an ego (if you open his brain with a scalpel, there's
no discernible ego-organ in there).
So what does ego (the verb) actually do? What exactly is ego as a verb
ie as a doing? Try this on for size: to ego (if you will)
is to be attached to having your
point of view
survive ie perpetuate. Whatever you see and whatever you say
perpetuates what you've already seen and what you've already said. It
makes you right / justified - at least in your own eyes, and closed and
limited in others'. This is the verb 'to ego' the way
Werner
distinguishes it: it's 'to perpetuate one's own
point of view'."
That's extraordinary. And look: we have control over what we do, more
than over some random quality we may have.
A lot's been said about trying to get rid of ego, destroy ego, get
beyond ego etc etc as if ending up with no ego is the outcome of a kind
of spiritual quest, all of which are about as futile and as
naïve as trying to get rid of, destroy, or get beyond your nose.
No, the way to handle your ego is to own it, to have it. Just as with
your nose and other body parts, you take responsibility for them. The
notions of trying to get rid of ego, destroy it, get beyond it etc etc
are all more ego, all of which are antithetical to that
spiritual quest. Look: you'd be in serious trouble if you got rid of,
destroyed, or got beyond your nose, yes?
This is when ego ends (if you will): the quest to end ego-ing ends when
you begin taking responsibility for your ego ie as soon as you take
responsibility for having an ego. The more you struggle to get rid of
ego, to destroy it or to get beyond it, the more you're ego-ing and the
deeper ego becomes entrenched.
Werner
however, doesn't stop there. In bringing forth, in teasing out, in
developing
the work of
transformation,
he brings along no trace of ego the noun. And whatever he brings along
of ego the verb, he's fully responsible for. In this way, he implies an
authentic place for ego in our lives, like a
demonstration.
Postscript:
The presentation, delivery, and style of
When Ego Ends
are all my own work.
The ideas recreated in
When Ego Ends
were first originated, distinguished, and articulated by
Werner Erhard.
