I feel my ego constantly battles against my self-destructive tendencies by forcing me to think about how important i am...
The crazy thing: i am not important at all....
So, i want to self-destruct...but i wont let me
So why the need to keep up a self-image legga?...what does that achieve for you in your every day lifestyle?
Is it because your ego goads you to portray yourself as something more , or better than what you feel you are in your own eyes?
And would it be fair to say that you you dislike the egotistical people because its something you dislike intensely in yourself??
also, do you not feel that your acheivements are an extension of yourself?..or are they part of the false self-image you portray to mask the real you?.
so for you, that aspect of the ego is highly beneficial wil?
I think the self-importance thing is somewhat subjective. While you may not see yourself as important, Id bet your partner or lover would view it differently.
And thats where the ego tends to go awry with some folk. Some view themselves as being more important to others than they truly are, or on the other hand, simply dont see their value to their loved ones. A subjective balancing act so to speak.
I am unsure whether it is beneficial...i read something for philosophy class once where a rich man walks to the end of his lane and looks at his fancy house, cars, and thinks of his raised kids and trophy wife...he reflects on how hard he worked to get where he was while briefly remembering he will die one day....
Why do we do it? Why is it worth it to us? Why dont we end our life if we know it will end anyway?
I think this is the ego's role..to ignore our insignificance at all costs
Thanks for the reply
I wonder if it's about portraying myself as something more than I am. I guess the ego needs something to be proud of. Otherwise I'm worthless, or at least that's what the voice inside my head seems to be telling me. I wonder if it's true.
Self-image is such a weird concept. If I have something I place my ego in I'll go through a lot of trouble to make sure nothing breaks my fragile ego. I'm not sure if my belief in my abilities has to be over-rated for me to be afraid of losing whatever it is I think I've achieved. My ego seems to create most of my conflicts with people.
I don't know if my problem with egoistical people is that I dislike that part of myself. I discussed the topic shortly here: http://luna.soulcreative.org/topic/2013-10-17/arrogance (If you're interested)
My achievements might be a part of myself but I try not to place too much value on them. I wonder if that means they're an extension of myself. The moment I place my ego in my achievements I feel I limit my options. I feel some kind of urge to hold on to them. I become unable to move on.
I don't want to think I'm better than anyone else just because I've achieved some things other people haven't. I don't want to feel superior to other people and I don't want to feel less significant than other people. I used to have a big problem with accepting failure.
Do you judge people based on their achievements? How do you compare yourself to other people? Do you believe you have any value just by being yourself? Do you think your ego makes you act rationally?
On this forum the ego is ever-present.
Everyone wants to tell their story but nobody wants to listen to other people's stories.
Everyone wants to run their own puppet show but nobody cares about other people's puppet shows.
Everyone wants to brag but demean others who brag.
Everyone wants to post their own test scores but nobody bothers to read other people's scores.
Everyone wants to feel important but nobody wants to place a high value on anyone else.
"Me me me" is around every corner.
e: I think I ought to mention that I was generalizing and this doesn't really apply to "everyone and always".