Dyer, in The Shift, says that from the beginning we were completely aligned with our source (God, Tao etc.). We didn't own anything and we had nothing; all we had to do was just be. As we grew older, we learned from others to "stand out" and that "You are successful by how much you own and what you do." This is the idea of a false self. This self believes that we are worthy only by what we have and what we do. He calls this false self the ego (ie. edge God out).
Imagine a new born hyena being taught by it's parents to not hunt, run with the pack or chew on carcasses of animals. Instead he has been told to sit still and not to howl or laugh. That would be ridiculous. Innately, animals behave as their true selves. They do what they feel they should do and they are taught to act upon their instincts. On the contrary, we (humans) move away from our true selves by behaving and acting a certain way to achieve or be something we are not. In this way we can become important in our own minds on the basis of what we own and who we are. This is the EGO. Why does the ego exist? For your own survival, or so it thinks. Once you see yourself as separate then you must take care of yourself because nobody else will. You must be the best and own the most because then you can survive in this world. Is the ego needed then? Dyer says it is the root of all misery because the ego lies. It is not how much we own or who we are that gives us our self worth. We are already worthy because we exist.
6 components of the ego (the false self):
1. Who I am is what I have.
2. Who I am is what I do.
3. Who I am is what others think of me.
4. I am separate from everyone else.
5. I am separate from what's missing in my life.
6. I am separate from God.
My own ego told me that in order to be respected and treated as an equal I needed to be in a profession that would do that. I chose engineering because I wanted to prove that I am capable and worthy as a human being. When I do make a mistake at work I usually feel awful for the day. I need to realize that my worth is not caught up in what I do or how well I do it but that I am worthy, capable, and equal because I am me, a human being. That is a load off my shoulders. Good bye negative (ego) self talk!
People always seem to forget that the thing that DEFINES your value as a human is the fact that GOD LOVES YOU. No one can take that way, no one can change that, and it is the very thing that makes your life worth anything, even if you hate God. It's the only thing that is a justification for human rights, many people seem to forget that. Without God, the idea of human rights is rather.... worthless. Even though some christians also forget that and then go do horrible things that they shouldnt.
ReplyDeleteDick Woodward sould say that your ego should looks something like this:
“I’m not, but He is,
And I’m in Him and He is in me .”
“I can’t, but He can,
And I’m in Him and He is in me .”
“I don’t want to, but He wants to,
And I’m in Him and He is in me.”
“I didn’t, but He did,
Because I was in Him and He was in me.”
This "spirital state of ego" is supported in the fact that God used some horrible people to do AMAZING things in the bible.
Moses was a murderer and an adulterer, so was David.
Saul of Tarsus killed 1000's of christians, then became one of the main writters of the new testament, yet God sent him the gentiles, rather than to the jews, when he used to be a member of the sanhedron (the head of the jewish relegion). BUT Peter, a simple fisherman, God sent to the jews.
God tends to take the person worst for the job and have them do it, then when it works out, He's the only one that can take the credit. And that is the state that all our ego's need to be in.
"I can do all things through Him who gives me strength"
The very core of who you are, what you can do, why you should do it, and why you have value, are ALL based in God.
I like it! Being valuable as a person, just because you are alive didn't completely jive with me but knowing that it is because God loves us and He places the value within us is why we are valuable. We are created and loved by Him regardless of how good or bad we are. He can still use us and when He does it's in ways we wouldn't expect. In this way He get's the credit. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteOne more thing...the ego is powerful and it leads us to do things that may not be so good (Saul, Moses etc) for the betterment of ourselves but God can still turn us around and humble our ego. In this way we can be used for great acts. Plus, it is a wonder when one has been one way (destructive) and can change and do constructive things. It shows us there is only one answer for this type of behavioral change: God gets the credit.
ReplyDeleteI like this point that you made.