When you were a baby, you probably didn’t have Ego. It’s not something we’re born with, but more something that society teaches us. They don’t consciously teach us the morals of greed and status, yet we learn nonetheless. Young boys and girls are taught Ego like you and I are “taught” to be sick. We catch the virus or bacteria, and then we need to fight it off ourselves. If we’re lucky, after we fight it off, our body can become immune to that particular virus. Ego and Sickness are the same things, in essence. Ego is a sickness of the spirit, and we, the cultivators of Tao, may fight it off. Afterwards, our spirit may, if we’re lucky, become immune to the world of greed, status, honor and rivalry that surrounds us, just as our body is immune to the world of germs and sicknesses that surround it. Ego is the invisible virus most people don’t even know they have. I’ve heard many a modern psychologist say that Ego is a necessary part of a human being. This is the same thinking that stole the land from Native Americans. The same thinking that enslaved the Africans and brought them to work for the rich and powerful. The Native Americans and tribal Africans didn’t “rule” the land they lived on. They shared it, and worshipped nature, a lot like the sages of China. They had the Egoless Tao within them, without even being aware of it. And that’s how the good qualities of true sages are: unaware of themselves. Ego is not necessary. In fact, it is an extra burden to have, but those who have trouble seeing things as they are do not know this. Ego is not something that comes with people; rather, something that infects the spirit.

Eliminating Ego

Ego is a virus, as we heard before. And, like any virus, it is alive within you. It has its own priorities, revolving around making itself live longer. It inhabits you, poisoning your spirit. It has its own needs, and it gets them done through you. Nod your head if you’ve been in the following situation:

• You’ve “shared” something with everyone to, even if it was subconscious, get compliments and not critiques.

• Lied or exaggerated to make you look better or smarter.

• Insulted someone to make you look better.

• Done or bought something to fit your “look or style,” or just to show off, maybe.

This is ego. It’s a hungry gremlin feeding itself off your ruined interactions. And why? Has your ego ever gotten you anything good, beside the empty compliment you practically begged for? But has this ever really made you a better person? The only real change it’s made in your life is getting you into trouble, making you carry things that aren’t important, perhaps even making you feel strong emotion over things that don’t matter. These are all negative changes. The Ego does not bring anything positive. Even success breeds hatred by the Ego-filled who are not successful. It also adds unnecessary responsibility and spiritual, sometimes even physical suffering. The only way to cleanse yourself of this sickness is to starve it and let it die. When you feel like you must look better than everyone, or smarter than everyone, or richer than everyone, remember that these people are all the same as you. IQ, bank accounts, these are all tiny differences, in reality. Small boxes that hold very little. Carved blocks that serve a narrow purpose. The differences are not what make sages separate from the Ego filled. When you feel the urge to make yourself the center of the Universe, remember that we are all one with the Universe. If others look at it, it does not necessarily make you more favorable in the eyes of others. Often, our need to tell a joke at an inappropriate time, to make fun of someone less than you, is a thirsty ego. It’s best to not quench that thirst, to let it die and fade away. After your ego is dead, you can observe how others are dead with their egos still attached and clinging to them. See the world in a new light, and see yourself in a new light as well.