"Mirror, Mirror on the wall . . . where did he go, and why doesn't he call?"

The Human Condition of Selfishness





Nothing makes a person uglier or more repelling to others - than the human condition of selfishness. Selfishness is ugly, plain and simple. So, where does the human condition of selfishness come from? The human ego (E-G-O = edging God out).

The ego holds us back in life. At times, it disguises itself as your friend and the temporary satisfaction it provides causes to you further seek to satisfy it. It can become a real beast and once you let it out of the cage and off the leash, good luck reigning it back in. But it can be done. You can - and should - seperate yourself from your ego.

You see, in order to evolve and attain enlightenment, you need to realize that your Ego is seperate from your human side. There's a duality in life, a paradox. Ego is like a split personality that lives within you - and your goal in life should be to successfully seperate yourself from it. Ego is what produces selfishness and drives selfish behaviors. Selfish behaviors are a humans attempt to satiate the ego, to satisfy it.

And that, my friends, is where society and humans run into trouble. We are all so blindly following these days, like cattle being led to the slaughter, that we totally buy into the ego. And once you've bought into your ego, others and society around you will always joyfully encourage you to feed it.



That's why they call us "consumers" folks. We are constantly feeding on others and our environment like a cancer on this earth, gobbling it up and destroying it. Yummy, yummy, yummy. It's a varitable feeding frenzy out there, isn't it? "Oh, this makes me feel good, I only need one but I'll take 10." Or, "I know I owe you money, but I really wanted this new X Box instead." Or, "I'm sorry I was ignorant, but hey, I'm enjoying myself and doing what I want to do."

And those around you are encouraging it, "Yes, that's lovely, why not get 12 instead of 10!" Or, "Hey, you can pay them next week." And, "You have to think of yourself." What they should be saying is, "You have to think FOR yourself." It's easy to say, "Hey, it makes ME feel good. Besides, others are encouraging MY behavior, telling ME to think about ME, and supporting ME in my actions . . . so I'm living for ME, right?"

But, are you really? Ask yourself, "Whose vision of happiness am I actually living?" First, consider the company you keep. Are those around you selfish in nature? Does their behavior, at times, turn you off? Do their self-centered, immature actions or mind sets cause their loved ones to suffer? How do they love their children, grandchildren, spouses and friends? Would you want to emulate them? Stop and take a moment to reflect.

I'm not saying that those around you are bad people, I'm sure they're well meaning. But what YOU need to consider is this. . . are they a follower or a leader? Do they follow the stampeding cattle right over the edge of the mountain cliff? Or do they stand out, maybe even as an oddball of sorts, from the crowd and march to the beat of their own drum?

Because if you're going to follow someone. . . follow their advice and encouragement. . . you'd better make sure you know where the hell your following them too.

Where is their encouragement and advice going to lead you to? Is it going to be to a place that YOU'RE happy with? And where is their encouragement and advice coming from? A place of well-being - or from a cynical place of past experiences? Because the vast majority of people these days, in my eyes at least, are part of the herd heading for the edge of the cliff. You're much better off if you're the slow poke that lags behind and doesn't get it - and maybe even causes trouble every once in a while by ruffling a few feathers and questioning things.

I have found that throughout my life, I have been drawn to eccentricities and eccentric people. Why? All I can say is that I can truly appreciate their "spirit." A free spirit that flys and floats at will - following no one and nothing but their own heart, mind and imagination. I'm generally not drawn to those in vain pursuit of selfish satisfactions. When going through a period in life like that, trapped and earth bound, your light is dimmed. What you generate and emulate - is what you attract back to yourself. Careful, you are always creating your karma.

We've all been there. We've all had to question our lives at some point and ask ourselves, "What am I here for? What would truly make me happy?" If you think on that, you soon come to realize that selfish behaviors and the vain pursuit of constant fulfillment of them - only takes you on a tireless, meaningless course through life making very little progress. It's like meandering along the ocean shore without ever diving into the ocean. Selfishness will never bring you true happiness and will only keep you unfulfilled and earth bound.

When you're selfish, you're pissing around. When your free, you fly.

Are you flying? Or are you pissing around?

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8 Comments:

Taurus Male said...

Brilliant. Love your works.

The Mirror of Aphrodite said...

Thank you, Taurus Male *blushing* :-)

Anonymous said...

I'm a flyer.....but there are times I'd like to FLY and piss upon the heads of Washington.

Anonymous said...

Ego does not stand for Edging God Out. No psychology class has ever taught that. Let's not make things up here. This is a well written article sans the sentence trying to associate ego with pushing God away.

Anonymous said...

I don't believe it was stated anywhere in the above written piece that the phrase, "Edging God Out" was a fact that was associated with psychological teachings.

I believe it was simply used as a reference phrase for how one can view the human ego. And to additionally prove the point that the human ego is NOT our friend - as a matter of fact, it can be our biggest enemy.

Mike said...

It also makes a connection to the actual modern definition of ego. As you fill your self with your ego you are pushing out progression in the mind, because your ego blocks new and progressive ways of thinking, you grow more and more content. To me god is the pro suite of the unknown and achieving wellness for all, or me and my social net if not the before, and something to define the end of the tunnel.

Anonymous said...

Not sure I agree evaluating ego with selfishness.
Ego is survival, intuition, reality, force.
Ego builds, discovers, invents.
Ego is curious, experimental, interested.
Ego judges, elects, chooses.
Ego for all the right reasons is a force that is both socially and personally beneficial.
Along with the Id it is a the ying and yang of life.
Without it there is weakness, indecision, collapse.
I think of Captain Kirk when his Ego and Id became split and there was a war between them.
That's a funny analogy but a quick visual.
Ego and selfishness are not bad. In fact thinking that either is might be bad in itself.
The last time I heard my "terrible" ego talk to me it said get some sleep, take your vitamins and through taking care of my self, selfishly, I am able to take care of others.
No, sorry, without my selfish ego, I would be no good for anyone. I'd be a guilt inducing, co-dependent, self righteous martyr.
so let go of my Ego.. I rather like it.

The Mirror of Aphrodite said...

@Anonymous,
Well, to each his own. However, an "enlightened" individual strives to separate themselves from their ego.

"In an enlightenment context, the word ego refers to something else altogether. Ego is the deeply ingrained, compulsive need to remain separate and superior at all times, in all places, under all circumstances."

"In contrast to the inherent freedom of the Self Absolute and the fearless passion of the Authentic Self, ego is experienced as an emotional quagmire of fear and attachment."

"Ego is the one and only one obstacle to enlightenment. The great wisdom traditions have always told us that the price is ego death, and in evolutionary enlightenment it is no different: if the Authentic Self is going to act through us as the uninhibited expression of evolution in action, then our attachment to ego must be transcended."

http://www.andrewcohen.org/teachings/ego.asp

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