With therapy I developed a much less defensive ego, a healthier, stronger ego. The strength developed by experiencing that which I had repressed gave me the courage to face more and more. The risk of finding out who you really are, how you really feel, teaches you to challenge yourself. True therapy teaches one to take risks. The result is a quieter more relaxed mind. Contemplation and the search for truth becomes easier.
In the pursuit of truth, a strong ego is necessary. You have to face your conditioning, challenge it, even when parents, family, friends and society are telling you what to think. Being strong allows for self examination. Put no head above your own. This does not mean that you do not learn from others you perceive to know more than you.
A strong ego that no longer needs defenses is much more capable of self examination. An ego that knows it can take a hit is much more open. It knows a threat to a current position can be examined. A strong ego is not threatened by deep contemplation and exploration. The opposite is true of a weak, defensive ego. It is not in a position to allow transcendence.
A strong ego is actually capable of pursuing truth, capable of discovering that it is not the doer, that it is not the center of the universe. It can handle the shift from primary identification, to secondary. After realization my ego is still intact. It is not who I am, but remains an excellent tool I use to navigate this realm.
In the pursuit of truth, a strong ego is necessary. You have to face your conditioning, challenge it, even when parents, family, friends and society are telling you what to think. Being strong allows for self examination. Put no head above your own. This does not mean that you do not learn from others you perceive to know more than you.
A strong ego that no longer needs defenses is much more capable of self examination. An ego that knows it can take a hit is much more open. It knows a threat to a current position can be examined. A strong ego is not threatened by deep contemplation and exploration. The opposite is true of a weak, defensive ego. It is not in a position to allow transcendence.
A strong ego is actually capable of pursuing truth, capable of discovering that it is not the doer, that it is not the center of the universe. It can handle the shift from primary identification, to secondary. After realization my ego is still intact. It is not who I am, but remains an excellent tool I use to navigate this realm.
2 comments:
Really enjoyed your expression of this important aspect of Self exploration/knowing ~ thanks.
Thanks! I thought I would get a lot of flak for this one. All the misguided talk about killing the ego and stop thinking is leading people astray. Heart and mind are both important. I have had the experience of "no self," but that is primarily while the shift is happening from being ego centered to Self (Being) centered. In the end, the ego remains, it's just not center stage.
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