The Invisible Hand strikes again. No, not Adam Smith’s. This is the hand of intuition. It’s the hand that leads you to find what you’re looking for. This time, it sent me to the bookshelf. I didn’t realize why.
You may recall from last week’s blog episode, Leggo My Ego, I looked for a cogent definition of the ego, and was unable to find one that satisfied me.
Still pondering that which is ego, but not actively looking, I decided to read Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse. I read it a lifetime ago, as required reading in high school. At the time, I was unimpressed. At the time, I simply had no way of understanding. It has examples of ego dissolving into divine. I thought that was interesting
Next, I moved onto a copy of “Love Here Now,” Ram Dass‘ newest book, written with Rameshwar Das. Although I have heard of Ram Dass, I’ve never actually read any of his work. I’ve just cracked the beginning – and am blown away. It’s brilliant. It also contains the best definition of ego I have encountered:
“The heart-mind is not the ego. Our ego is a constantly changing bundle of thoughts about who we think we are. We build an edifice of thought forms and feelings that we identify with. It’s like a concept of self overlaid on a group of thoughts and emotions that we take as real. There’s nothing bad about having an ego. These thoughts and feelings are necessary for a healthy personality. But if you identify so strongly with the ego that you think that’s all there is, that limited view can keep you from your deeper self.”
Thank you, Invisible Hand, and thank you, Ram Dass.
The Invisible Hand of Intuition
So, if you think you don’t have intuition, think again. Look for the times it invisibly nudges you into interesting and wondrous places.
Yes, I love Ram Das. Great that you’ve discovered the writings and have great back-up!
I am very happy to finally read Ram Dass after all these years.
Pondering is a great place to visit ~ You don’t want to live there. My definition of ego is that part of us that strongly identifies with things that could not possibly be us, like money or your career, house something you create art work or a book you wrote.
Ego is the part of the mind that thinks too much. It lives in your head and if you stay there too long you get a glimpse of hell.
I love how you committed to this blog. Makes it a interesting read. Your passion comes out. 🙂
Hi Marla, I admire you quest to delve into the topic of the ego, and expand your knowledge of the concept. It is true that we can not deny the ego and try to eradicate it, as it is part of what makes us “us”. We do, however need to be sure that we are aware enough to ensure that it does not take control of our thoughts, and that the ego helps us grow into the best selves we can be!
Thanks for your interesting thoughts, ladies. Ego is our sense of self – good or bad. The problem comes in when we identify too strongly with our thoughts – nasty or nice, because we are not our thoughts.