Episode 24 – Deconstructing Ego

Ego isn’t so much a “thing” as it is a project — one that we’re very invested in, and one that is under constant threat • the ego is a construct or overlay, which is not that useful • however, because it is a construct, it’s also removable • ego is a paper tiger: it’s not as harmful or as necessary as it makes out • it begins with an initial split between self and others, which is like putting a fence across a vast snowy field • this fence divides “me” from “you,” “friend” from “foe” • once we identify with one side of the fence, we interpret every experience as either positive, negative, or neutral • in turn, we’re drawn towards what is positive, we flee from what is negative, and we ignore what is neutral • as we do so, we categorize and label our experiences, making our world more manageable and predictable • this process culminates in a subtle fuzzy stream of consciousness, with a sense of self that clouds over every experience