One of the most important concepts in many spiritual teachings is the concept of the ego. This is the false sense of self. It is a construct of the mind and it is not who we really are. In one of his talks, the spiritual teacher Dr. Wayne Dyer talked about the 6 ways the ego defines itself which I find to be very helpful in explaining what the ego is and what it does. Here are the 6 ways which the ego defines itself.
We Are What We Have
When we are defined by the things we have gathered and accumulated, our main focus becomes what we have and don’t have. Whether it’s the new house or new car we chase. these things ultimately cannot bring us true happiness.
We Are What We Do
The ego likes to define itself by we we do and have done. While achievements and actions are important when it comes to worldly matters, they are ultimately not who we really are. If we cling on reputation and what we have done in the past, we are not honouring our inner being and can lead to suffering.
We Are What Others Say We Are
When our identity becomes dependant on what others say about us, we are at the mercy of their praise and criticism. We then try very hard to seek approval and protect our reputation, because if we don’t, our whole world crumbles. Of course, this is from the ego’s point of view.
We Are Separate From Others
The ego believes we are are separate individuals who have no real connections with others. We may form friendships and have allies but not everyone is our friend and therefore is an enemy. This creates a ‘us versus them’ mindset which ultimately leads to many problems we see in the world today where people try to outdo one another.
We Are Separate From What’s Missing From Our Lives
This is a somewhat more spiritual one. When we believe that what we don’t have is what is, we disconnect ourselves from our true potential. If we believe that what is missing is something that is out of our reach, we create a barrier to what is possible. There is divinity and energy in everything. We are all connected to this divinity, all we need to do is to calibrate and align ourselves to this energy and what is missing will manifest into our lives.
We Are Separate From God
Following the previous point, God, or the divine, the universe, consciousness, or however you’d like to call it, is not somewhere in a remote location, it is within each of us. We have the ability to connect with the divine within us. In fact, we could even say we are God, we are the universe and we are consciousness itself.
If the ego is defined by these 6 things described here, then the opposite is our true identity. When we shed these definitions about ourselves, we will find our true selves and all it is is really just a simple switch in perspective.