#112 - Who Are You Really? Unpacking The Ego | Tom Ahern

The ego can be thought of as many things. Some refer to it as “arrogance made manifest” but it is deeper than that. Some say it is the thoughts in your head and it is, but it is more malleable than that—and we know this because our thoughts change all the time (at least the seemingly less significant ones). When we identify ourselves by our egos—and, unfortunately, this is not always a conscious decision—we derive our sense of self from something that isn’t us. The ego ultimately seeks some kind of superiority; it compares itself to others, and that when we identify as our egos, we never meet other individuals at all; only the constructs of our minds. What does this mean? It means that we have become who we think we need to be—complete with moral superiority and social acceptance—to not only be included, but be loved, whole, welcomed and desired. Thoughts are projections. They are ideas about ways to access or grab ‘what is’—as Eckhart Tolle would say—outside our selves. The ego always needs some kind of antagonist because it defines itself by the other. Identity is something that humans desperately seek because to not be someone means to be no one, and being no one is scary! Enjoy this episode of the show guys!