WE ACTUALLY KNOW NOTHING? ASK YOUR EGO.

BLOG 2 
WE ACTUALLY KNOW NOTHING?
GO AHEAD, ASK YOUR EGO.

Why do we try to be so right about “That”, of which we know so little?
Let’s face it folks, if you or I were to place the tip of our forefinger just a single millimeter from our thumb, the gap created is probably the extent to which we know about what there is to know regarding the Universe and Life.
 
So why are we so offended when someone else has a different opinion to ours, lives a differing lifestyle, questions our beliefs, or indeed invites us to change our mind and accept their beliefs?
 
There are primarily two reasons:

1. Ego
2. Conditioned thought

 
EGO
Firstly, allow me to introduce you to your Ego.
The Ego is the abstract part of you, which associates itself with something tangible, or a thought.
When you use the phrase “I am…” you are associating yourself as being something fixed, which is totally impossible. The human being is an ever-changing envelope of DNA and energy molecules, designed from conception to eventually deteriorate.
 
At no point in our life do we remain constant, not even for a millisecond; therefore being fixated as some-thing or some-one, is delusional.
 
I invite you to look at photographs of yourself at age 5, 15, 25 and 35.
Is the 35-year-old person the same person as the 5 year old?
Or are they an evolution, evolving from the same DNA structure?
 
When we release the concept of “this is me”, we allow ourselves to be anything we choose.
By allowing this freedom of choice, limitations are removed and replaced with infinite possibilities.
Borders become boundary-less, and time becomes present.
 
Why is it important to be in the present moment at all times?
Because we cannot live in the past or future, we can only live in the present.
We can only be who we are in this exact moment.
Once this exact moment has passed, it is no longer this exact moment; it is no longer present, and we are no longer who we just were.

The Ego, is that part within your mind, which constantly attempts to convince you that you are a “something”, rather than an ever evolving being.
It draws your attention to the past and says loudly “you failed at that, therefore you are not good at it”. Or “you succeeded at that, therefore you are good at it”.
But nothing could be further from the truth.
 
To fail is to learn how not to do something; and to achieve is to succeed in not failing.
Both success and failure are necessary antithesis for the other to exist.
If you never failed, how would you know you succeeded?
 
The Ego is conditioned thoughts we carry from the past, which are simply that - conditioned thoughts.
It cannot live in the present moment, and therefore serves little purpose to the evolved Homo sapiens.
 
The Ego fixates itself with trying to convince you that ‘You’ are something other than self. ‘You’ are intelligent, fast, slow, overweight, underweight, short, tall, amazing, useless, skilled, haphazard, and so on. It wants to label ‘you’ as definitive.
 
When we understand how the Ego works, we start to notice it sneaking up on our thoughts from any-and-all of the 360 degree of directions.
 
The Ego labels ‘you’ in a fixed position which can be anywhere from either end of the scale from “Amazing” to “Useless”.
 
To believe we are definitive, or that 'we know without question', is allowing the Ego to dictate, and limit our unlimited potentiality.
 
Don’t misunderstand me; thoughts are useful because they provide comparison, and an avenue to admit we know nothing – and therefore can be open to learning.
 
Thoughts teach us what worked, or did not work, in our past; and allow us to revise our pattern of behavior accordingly. However, thoughts in the form of answers are only able to supply information of which we are already aware, not information we have never encountered. This is where the ego needs to be checked at the door, to enable your thoughts to be ‘open-minded’ and available toward input from areas previously unchartered by yourself.

I invite you to consider the mind as a parachute; it works best when open.

The Ego exists because we previously needed it to survive (before our brain evolved to the present-day state).
We needed the ego to exist when we were primitive.
To put it bluntly, It is a piece of the inner gearing which is now outdated, and is best discarded. It exists by using the parts of the brain that were initially geared for survival, in particular the limbic system.

The Limbic System

• The Amygdala
• The Hippocampus
• The Hypothalamus
• The Thalamus

The Brain’s number one motive is to survive - it is the reflex emotion we instinctively use above any other emotion, and this is where the Ego lurks.
 
When the brain feels threatened, it reacts by sending the Ego forward, rather than allowing space to be created within the mind, to investigate the thoughts or viewpoints we are holding; or to allow the thoughts of others to be given an opportunity to be heard.
 
The Ego is the persona, which takes on any-and-all of the emotions falling under the umbrella of fear.
Fear, like any emotion, is definitely necessary for survival, however if left unchecked it leaves no space for Love.
 
For more information on how to undertake practices to become aware of the ego in action, use This Link.
Here you will find practices I share - tools & techniques to gently guide you forward toward awareness, one step at a time.
 
When we practice emotional stability, rather than existing with unchecked behavior, we live a fulfilling, and purposeful life.

• ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Having undertaken studies for 3 years, and successfully fulfilled the criteria required, I am a certified life coach and certified Usui Shiki Ryoho reiki therapist, specializing in mindfulness – based practices.
I currently offer services of Naturopathic Reiki in Virginia USA, as well as Sydney Australia.
I offer Life Coaching services globally, through 1 on 1 coaching programs using individually tailored tools and techniques to develop a state of positive emotional awareness and behavior.
​More information on Paul Pettit & BMS Here