"Loose thy soul from the prison of self"
Ego
In psychology Egocentrism is defined as:
- the incomplete differentiation of the self and the world, including other people.
- the tendency to perceive, understand and interpret the world in terms of the self.
- being over preoccupied with one’s own internal world.
“Loose thy soul from the prison of self. Seize thy chance, for it will come to thee no more.” 1
“The heart is a divine trust; cleanse it from the stain of self-love ,..... Just as the earth attracts everything to the centre of gravity, and every object thrown upward into space will come down, so also material ideas and worldly thoughts attract man to the centre of self. Anger, passion, ignorance, prejudice, greed, envy, covetousness, jealousy and suspicion prevent man from ascending to the realms of holiness, imprisoning him in the claws of self and the cage of egotism.” 2
The ego is false sense of I, of self, based on a deep sense of alienation from the present, and an identification/addiction to the past and future. It requires the past for its identity and the future for its fulfilment, and thus can never settle down in the present moment. By entangling itself in the world of transient forms (my needs, my story, my pain, my problems), the ego generates a seemingly non-stop flow of compulsive mental activity.
"Whosoever is occupied with himself is wandering in the desert of heedlessness and regret." (‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Lights of Guidance, p. 114)
The ego is a source of intense anguish, limitation and frustration.
“Life is a constant struggle, not only against forces around us, but above all against our own 'ego’.” 3
The ego tries to get happiness from doing or having or being someone, while the spiritual self tries to get happiness from transcending (rising above) all of that.
“Whether ye receive praise or blame; for all these things ye must care not at all.. God is the helper of those souls whose aim is to serve humanity and whose efforts and endeavours are devoted to the good and betterment of all mankind.” 4
“Every imperfect soul is self-centred and thinketh only of his own good. But as his thoughts expand a little he will begin to think of the welfare and comfort of his family. If his ideas still more widen, his concern will be the felicity of his fellow citizens; and if still they widen, he will be thinking of the glory of his land and of his race. But when ideas and views reach the utmost degree of expansion and attain the stage of perfection, then will he be interested in the exaltation of humankind. He will then be the well-wisher of all men and the seeker of the weal and prosperity of all lands.” 5
Often people confuse ego with self-esteem. Ego needs the other for comparison; self-esteem is just confidence in ones abilities.
Egocentrism is a personality trait which has the characteristic of regarding oneself and one's own opinions or interests as most important or valid. It also generates the inability to fully understand or to cope with other people's opinions and the fact that reality can be different from what they are ready to accept.
To be as simple as possible, we can say that the ego is the fundamental obstacle to the emerging new mode of consciousness.
“When one is released from the prison of self, that is indeed release, for that is the greater prison. When this release takes place, then one cannot be outwardly imprisoned.” 6
Can we completely get rid of our ego?
“The only people who are truly free of the "dross of self" are the Prophets, for to be free of one's ego is a hall-mark of perfection. We humans are never going to become perfect, for perfection belongs to a realm we are not destined to enter. However, we must constantly mount higher, seek to be more perfect.” 7
Nevertheless if we want to have permanent peace, happiness or rest, we have to remove ego from its position of power over our life, as ego can literally kill one’s sense of aliveness and joy.
So how can we remove ego from its position of power?
“The more we search for ourselves; the less likely we are to find ourselves; and the more we search for God, and to serve our fellow-men, the more profoundly we will become acquainted with ourselves, and the more inwardly assured. This is one of the great spiritual laws of life.” 8
“When one is released from the prison of self, that is indeed release..”
1-Baha'ullah
2- Abdu’l-Baha
3- Shoghi Effendi
4- Abdu’l-Baha
5- Abdu’l-Baha
6- Abdu’l-Baha
7- Shoghi Effendi
8- Shoghi Effendi