If we want to make a spiritual change in our life we have to challenge our ego. It must be done this way because our ego is a part of us and not something that can be removed. It’s best described as a sense of self, so if we were to get rid of it completely there would be no ‘self’ remaining. And as cool as this sounds it’s simply not possible to lose one’s ego whilst alert and in our duel form.
So if the ego is who we are and what defines us then how can we possibly challenge or change it? This question is actually simple. Take the scientific method for instance (I have added the template in this blog). If you are able to remain objectionable beyond your own belief systems then this process is possible. The conundrum with this is that to remain objectionable you may require the ability to be self-aware and present. And because this is what we are trying to achieve in certain areas of our life (therefore alluding to the fact that we may not be there yet) how does one get to this state? Well, that’s what this chapter is all about.
We are all objectionable about certain things. It’s a natural part of evolution. The issues around objectivity only arise when it comes to us being emotionally connected to identity. Examples are: I am left/right wing, I am a loser, I am a failure, life is unfair (faithless), Earth is flat and global warming is not real (conspiracy theorist), people are inherently bad (jaded), life is unjust (defeatist), I have no ego (egoic), Brisbane are a great AFL team (delusional) and so forth. These are just examples (except for the Brisbane thing) and each belief system can be linked to multiple different identities that we may have beyond the ones listed above.
It is when we are emotionally bias towards one point of view (with or without scientific evidence to back up our case) that we know our ego is getting involved. And the reason why sorting through our ego is often called a spiritual journey is because we are trying to tear down our belief systems (which were created across our life) to get to the core of our wants and desires. Some people will use the metaphor of ‘finding your inner child’ and yet I try to avoid saying this, as it sounds like you are being childish as opposed to doing what YOU actually want in life.
(Part 2 of this blog will be released next week as this is a big one)
The Lonely Spaceman 