The Mind and the Ego
Your
“thinking” mind is responsible for creating not only your so-called “realities”
based on your perceptions of your life experiences, but also your personality,
which also plays a pivotal role in your living in a world of depression.
It is
your human nature to identify yourself with your thoughts created by your
thinking mind. This identity begins to relate to more thoughts, both past and
present, as well as their projections into the future as desires and
expectations. These accumulative thoughts begin to take shape and form your
ego-self. which all of us have,
because it is the identity that separates and distinguishes us from others.
But is
that ego-self for real? Or what exactly is the ego-self?
Simply
look at yourself in front of a mirror. What do you see? A self reflection. Is it for real? Can
you touch it? Not really; it is only a reflection of someone real—the real you in front of the mirror!
Your
ego-self is your self-perceived personality.
Just like the reflection in the mirror, it is not the real you.
Now, do
something slightly different. Place a baby—if there is one immediately
available—in front of the mirror. Now. see what happens. The baby may
crawl towards the baby in the mirror. Why? It is because the baby in front of
the mirror thinks that the baby in the mirror is another baby, and not his or her own
reflection.
Likewise,
your ego-self may look real to you, but it is not real It is only a reflection of your own thoughts; that is, your
ego self is what you think or even wish you were. The ego-self is gradually
formed over the years, transforming you into someone else that you are not.
Therefore, your only one true life obligation is to be the person standing in
front of the mirror, and not the reflection
of that person in the mirror.
Your
ego-self, which is formed by your thoughts, often become your attachments. Too
many attachments to your ego-self may become problematic, leading to
depression.
According
to Tao wisdom—the wisdom of the ancient Chinese sage, the author of the famous “Tao
Te Ching”—the ego-self is the source of human miseries because it is the human ego
that creates stress, leading to many human conflicts and problems.
Stephen Lau
Copyright© 2018 by Stephen Lau
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