Well, I am sitting here contemplating what Freedom really is, and was thinking how can we ever expect to have total freedom if we have an ego??? Having an ego restricts your mind to mainly think that everything revolves around you. Of course, you could be further along the evolution trail of the ego, so that you may think that everything revolves around you less than most, but still the fact of the matter but the fact of the matter is we all still do think only for ourselves to often. If not than we than would all not be here. That is why we are all here. We all suffer from some form of ego illness. It is our jobs collectively, to not kill each others ego but rather to disentegrate ones ego. To help each other let go of our selfish oneness, and to actually merge into a most unique state of oneness that we only yet dream of.(yes I do realize that seems a bit paradoxical, but hey life IS paradoxical)

So than since I too am a "Victim" of this self titled Ego Illness, than I ask YOU, what is it than we can do to help each other release ourselves from the negativity that the Ego brings to our Minds???

Hi Enigmatic Soul. Yes, that's exactly the problem, isn't it?

My two cents on the matter is that we can't be absolutely "free" as long as we have an ego ... because the very nature of the ego is a sense of separation! But that's okay, that's just the end point of all our spiritual growth, when we are completely at One with God and the whole manifested world has melted away!

As long as we are in the manifested universe, we will have an ego, because that's the only way we can recognize ourselves as unique individuals ... without an ego I couldn't even tie my own shoelaces, because there would be no "me" to have shoelaces to begin with!

But I do think it's possible to have an ego without being dominated by it. I can experience myself as a distinct individual without thinking that's the most important thing in the world, or that I must be "against" the other individuals in the world. I can identify with Oneness (or with the higher s-Elf aspect of Oneness) while still using the ego as a tool or a window through which to experience the world.

To my way of thinking, our task is not so much to "disintegrate" the ego as it is to "put it in its place" - the ego is not the captain of this ship, not the big cheese that gets to call all the shots and demand that everything I do is in its service. It's just a part of me, like my big toe or my brain. It can be a useful servant, but it makes a dangerous and fearsome master! And I think the answer to the question of how we can help each other let go of this selfish thinking-only-for-our-self ego illness is to ACT from a higher place of Love and unity ourselves. All the words and spiritual theories in the world do not have the impact of a single act of loving kindness that says, in deed rather than word, that we value truth and goodness and the welfare of our brothers and sisters and all life above our own personal advantage. When others see us acting in this way, it is the most inspiring communication possible, because it is a concrete expression of higher consciousness, not just another set of words "about" spiritual growth.

When the hundredth monkey washes its food in the ocean, the whole monkey population "gets" it and starts washing their food. Same thing with acting from the Higher s-Elf in spirit and Love above ego. This is what will transform the world!

Love,
Greg

Hi Enigmatic Soul,

I feel that there is nothing wrong with ego Enigmatic Soul, if we gear our ego with love unselfishly and productively. Ego does not necessarily mean selfishness or something negative, it is how it's conceived and perceived.

Defining ego:

-The self, especially as distinct from the world and other selves.
-In psychoanalysis, the division of the psyche that is conscious, most immediately controls thought and behavior, and is most in touch with external reality.
-An exaggerated sense of self-importance; conceit.
-Appropriate pride in oneself; self-esteem.
-The conscious and permanent subject of all psychical experiences, whether held to be directly known or the product of reflective thought; -- opposed to non-ego
-Your consciousness of your own identity [syn: self]; (psychoanalysis) the conscious mind

It is how we relate with our ego. Non of us here can live without it, we need it in our lives to get ahead and be where we want to be. It is our directive, our drive to help make us progress. It's how we make use this drive. I wondered sometimes, how do we fulfill ourselves without this tool to drive us to a better existance.

what Greg said!