My EGO IS NOT MY ENEMY

Image by Michael Held on Unsplash

From the time I had my first psychology class in high school, I’ve had a negative connotation of ego. As I’ve delved deeper into healing and spiritual growth, my opinion of my ego has gotten even worse. I pictured my ego as a tough layer of scar tissue, built from decades of trauma, that was blocking my soul from shining through and fulfilling my purpose in life. In a way, that’s true. But that’s not all, or even the most important, part of the story.

I read something last night that caused a complete shift in how I see my ego. It’s a quote from Ram Dass: “The soul depends on the Ego’s drama for its teachings. We have to be in the world to learn from it.”

Something that I say often is, “We are souls having a human experience.” That’s my spiritual belief in a nutshell. I believe our souls come into this world to experience life and fulfill a purpose for their own growth. But, until I read Ram Dass’s words, I didn’t understand the role of the ego in that experience. Two simple sentences caused a complete shift in my understanding.

As I continue on my spiritual journey, I will carry this new understanding of my ego’s purpose with me. I’ll treat that part of myself with new tenderness and respect. Because my soul’s purpose depends on it.