IN BRIEF: Every relationship works or breaks due to EGO. Without it, we shall cease to make anything out of life. On the other hand, if we possess too much egotism, we end up ruining every relationship. In this section we look at what EGO is and how it affects us.
What Is Ego
“Ego” simply explained is the “I” or self part of any person (Fun fact, ego is Latin for “I”). It is that part of a person that defines itself as a personality, separate from the outside world. Ego is that part of us that experiences the outside world and reacts to it, acting as a mediator between us and our social and physical environment. Now, it’s not necessary that all such interactions will be positive, nor is it necessary that our reactions to these situations will be positive. All in all, not everyone is born with a raging ego but almost all of us fuel our own egos, some knowingly or otherwise.
How Ego Affects Us
Research has shown that the he ego can be held responsible for many negative human traits including but not limited to criticising and judging others,acting manipulative, being inflexible and rigid, having severe mood swings, possessing a constant need for praise and approval, need to feel superior to everyone around, feeling fearful, anxious, being uncooperative, taking things too seriously, taking offense easily, constantly worrying over little things, feeling resentful towards others, inability to live in the present moments, feelings of hopelessness and despair and the need for power and control over others.
All such negative traits have very serious consequences and can easily make any person’s life a misery. This can cause addiction to alcohol, tobacco and other mild altering substances. Anything that takes the edge off.
How Does Ego Make Us Behave
Ego has the ability to make you focus on those aspects of the physical world that actually have intolerance towards peace, harmony and happiness. It acts as a deterrent to progress and should be treated as an adversary.
People are always quick to blame others or raise their voice against the ‘circumstances’ when anything bad befalls them. This is the product of the ego. It constantly strives to make people believe that they’re not responsible for their own actions, their surroundings are.
The ego always strives to be constantly right, always wants to be superior. Vice versa just won’t be tolerated. Popular studies say that it constantly aims to achieve power and control over others, never stopping to consider who they are affecting or even hurting.
What Can We Do About Ego
However, like everything else that is an inherent part of our nature, ego can’t be eliminated. However much the negative effects of it’s running rampant may be, it is a vital part of our individuality. As a result, instead of aiming to destroy it, what we should aim to do is to bring it under our control. When controlled, it’s necessary to accentuate it’s positive attributes while suppressing the negative parts simultaneously.
Ego has and always will be one of the main reasons for the downfall of human beings. The only thing we can do is to try and control our own respective egos and to not let them rule our heads.