I’ve been in the spirituality/yoga world for quite some time now and, having done some advanced reading in science, behaviour, yogic scriptures, personal development and spirituality, perhaps the biggest pet peeve of mine is the word ‘Ego’.

I once wrote an article attributing the ‘Ego’ to being our innate ability to travel through time* (mentally, not physically, of course) and, though I still stand by this analysis, I have to say that I think that most people don’t actually know what the Ego is—or, more accurately, don’t know the full facets of the Ego.

The Ego, much like a swear word, is often used by people who don’t know how to properly articulate which facet or function of a person’s personality or mental capacity they are talking about. 

“Don’t let your Ego get in the way of choosing the right path.”
“Your Ego is your best friend.”
“Your Ego has the potential to harm others and yourself.”
“Your Ego is just as important as your higher Self.”

Convoluted and often confusing for the lay person, I find that most people place an over-emphasis on both the trappings and triumphs of the Ego simply because they haven’t done further self-reflection (or adequate study) on which aspect of the human psyche they are talking about. In each of the above cases, further introspection and analysis could chalk each one of the above cases up to being a byproduct of: pride, self-identification, attachment, greed, desire, our true nature, idealistic notions, and so on…

So, why is this an issue and why do I abhor the word Ego so much? Because if you don’t know the root cause of something how do you expect to fix (or celebrate) it?

“That’s just your Ego talking…” no, that’s your attachment to an ideal… so work on what it is you’re overly-attaching to and you can find some sense of solace from your suffering.

“Your Ego is turning you into a different person…” no, your past experiences are shaping your future interpretation, intention and actions in the world for the worse (or better). Remember where you came from and reconcile that with who you are becoming.

The list goes on…

The problem is when you start attributing everything to being the Ego, you get a bunch of people (and books, for that matter) either glorifying or reprimanding the Ego (sometimes both!). So, which is it? Is the Ego a good or a bad thing? “It’s both,” is what more spiritually-advanced sages will tell you. But I’m here to tell you that, no, it’s not the Ego that’s the problem, it’s our mischaracterization through a lack of education and analysis that is.

I’m sure you’ve heard the old adage, “someone who uses swear words only shows how un-intelligent they really are because they couldn’t articulate what they wanted to say properly—so they defaulted to a cuss word,” and you know what? I’d liken the word Ego to being the exact same thing. It’s a cop out for the uneducated.

So, the next time you’re about to drop an E-bomb, I implore you to take a second and see what’s really the issue. Is it the Ego, or is it something much more meaningful; much more deeper; much more specific; if only you had taken a moment to collect your thoughts and choose your words more carefully.

-sorry for my Ego going off just now in the above post.