Letter # 86: "Ego"

Frank Leahy, who said, “When the going gets tough, let the tough get going” also said “Egotism is the anesthetic that dulls the pain of stupidity.”
Ego is a small word but has many shades of meaning.

The word entered the English language in 1714, in metaphysics, and came from the Latin ego meaning "I".

Freud’s term “ego”, used in his psychoanalytic theory, meant the adaptation to reality by a person confronted by the demands of id, which the "seething cauldron of desires", and the demands of the superego, the “naysayer” principles represented by authority figures. Freud’s use of the term ego has nothing to with pride or conceit. The sense of conceit conveyed by the word ego came into the English language in the 18th century, while the birth of the term “ego-trip” came about in 1964.
Pride and arrogance are condemend by all scriptures. “To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.” says Proverbs 8:13. The Holy Koran states: “And when it is said to him: “Fear God” pride drives him on to sin… “ 2:206
Lord Krishna gives a detailed explanation: “Humility; pridelessness; nonviolence; tolerance; simplicity; approaching a bona fide spiritual master; cleanliness; steadiness; self-control; renunciation of the objects of sense gratification; absence of false ego; the perception of the evil of birth, death, old age and disease; detachment; freedom from entanglement with children, wife, home and the rest; even-mindedness amid pleasant and unpleasant events; constant and unalloyed devotion to Me; aspiring to live in a solitary place; detachment from the general mass of people; accepting the importance of self-realization; and philosophical search for the Absolute Truth — all these I declare to be knowledge, and besides this whatever there may be is ignorance.” BG 13.8-12.
Guru Nanak cautions against the arrogance that can arise from doing even good deeds: “Je ko hoe bahai datar(u); Tis Den-har(u) janai gavar(u)” which verse is rendered into English as “If someone gives charity and is called a benefactor; The fool should recognize that God is the Giver to all.” [SS 15:2 P 153].

God Bless; Allah Hu Akbar; May The Forces Of The Universe Bring You Harmony; Hare Krishna; Radha-Swami; and Nanak Naam Chardi Kala Tere Bhane Sarbat Dha Bhalla.

I wish to express my gratitude for your comments, which inspire me to carry on writing. Please forgive my fallibilities in presenting this material. Also, feel free to send this message on to someone that you might think would like to receive it. If you do send it on, my only request of you is that you send it as it is, in its entirety, and to not alter or modify any of the text, references or authorship information. Thus you will help to give credit or liability to where they are properly due.
Jas Bhopal
Copyright© 2008
References: "The Holy Bible" Online version; "The Koran" as translated by SV Mir Ahmed Ali 2005 ISBN 0-9761870-0-0); "The Bhagavad Gita As it Is" as translated by Srila Prabhupada ISBN 0-89213-268-X; The Srimad Bhagavatum as translated by Srila Prabhupada ISBN0-89213-259-0; "I Am That. Talks With Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj” ISBN 0-89386-022-0; The Dhammapada ISBN-10:1-84483-344-5; The Sacred Sukhmani ISBN 81-7205-098-4; Wikipedia.