Can We Just Get Out Of Our Own Way?
Asmita, or Ego, is the second of the 5 Keshas, or corruptions of the mind. The Ego’s influence on the world around us (behaviors and actions) and our internal world can have a compounding negative affect on our ability to achieve a state of self realization or yoga. As with Avidya, I like to split Asmita, Ego up into two parts. After all, not only does the ego effect the relationships we have with others but also with ourselves. With that in mind, we’ll call the former “External Ego” and the latter “Internal Ego”. Let’s deal with Internal Ego this week.
One of the primary drivers of the ego, whether it’s activity be mild or intense, is our own insecurities. Our insecurities are influenced in part by what we believe others think of us. This gets to the core of our humanity. We want to be liked, if not loved. We desire connection not because we want connection but because we need it. We have survived as a people because of our ability to work and coordinate with one another. Keeping this in mind, it has become more important for us, as individuals, to be accepted by others sometimes to our detriment.
The ego gamifies this process of being accepted. Like a child that has no mechanism in place to stop eating cookies once the first sweet, buttery texture hits our tongue our ego continues to crave the attention it gets from others. The ego wants more because it knows that with acceptance comes security. Of course, there are many pitfalls to an ego unchecked. At its mildest we might see or experience states of depression by being shunned by others causing harm to ourselves. At its extreme we see narcissistic behaviors that not just harm ourselves but others as well.
Thankfully there are ways to override or overcome the influence and effects of the ego. The 4 Yogas of Karma, Raja, Jnana and Bhakti are all means to diminish the negative* effects the ego plays in our lives. For instance, Karma Yoga, the yoga of action, is driven by the idea to act in an altruistic way. To not just act selflessly but to act in a way that will benefit the whole. In doing so we set our priorities and interests aside and consider the effects our actions will have on others and the world as a whole.
*Yes, if there are negatives there are positives and the ego is no exception. Without the ego we would lose our humanity. Our individuality is what makes us unique in that our strengths may be another’s weakness and therefore our uniqueness as individuals can be seen as a catalyst for community.
