I asked you on Instagram what article's subject you would like.
The first topic was "Self-centeredness. Hysteria, neurosis."
Let's investigate :
Disclaimer I am not specialized in psychology or so-called psychic pathologies. Therefore, I cannot deal with such a sharp subject.
However, I can share with you what I have understood about the ego through my experience.
To begin with, let us start from the definition of egocentrism, that is to say the particularity to be centered on oneself, to bring everything back to one's person, to one's interest (source: Larousse dictionnary).
Let us now decompose the term.
Ego means: me and centered...uh...it's quite explicit. (source : ooreka)
Before sharing my findings with you, I also took a look at the definition of neurosis and hysteria.
- Just to make sure I'm not off topic.
On the other hand, I wanted to know what kind of logic I was dealing with. -
Well, let's get to the juicy part.
Before I started meditating I had heard about the ego as the devil's part of ourselves.
So, there would be me, the angel, and that other side that I have to fight, the evil and wicked side, the ego.
This part of me, everybody hates it and thinks they can judge it.
Well, let's not go any further than that.
I am proposing an approach that has nothing to do with these concepts.
But nothing at all.
To give you an idea of it, it is completely incomprehensible to me to create the term egocentrism, and even more so to define it as "bringing everything back to its person".
Let me explain.
Ego, is just thoughts.
Thoughts pass,
They "come and go".
They have no meaning by themselves.
They become ego only if one identifies with them.
There is no right or wrong.
There is no judgment.
It is simply thoughts.
Person, me and ego are synonymous.
They correspond to thoughts, memories, intellectual effort, in short, identification with what we are not.
So, if we look at the definition given ; "bringing everything back to his/her person" means nothing.
This expression is also revealing.
Not only is it based on the belief that we are persons in essence, but it also contradicts itself.
Let's imagine now, that what we mean by "person" is a concept.
It is therefore certainly not what I am.
If I can say: "I am a person" and I believe in it as hard as I can, it is clear that there is something to explore.
Who says I am a person?
Anything I can describe and identify as me cannot be me!
What is designated cannot be who I am!
Anyway, anyway.
Language can help to identify flaws in our understanding of things.
From the moment we identify with thoughts we cannot perceive what Is.
We live through this identification filter.
A few moments of ecstasy (through sports, art, drugs and other stuff) open a window on the freedom and peace felt in the absence of attachment to thoughts.
By investigating and looking deeper into it,
We become aware of the origin of our sufferings, our fears, our frustrations.
We discover who we are.
Compassion grows, our vision becomes clearer, we discover what binds us to everything.
We are not our thoughts, and this is very, very good news.
Because others are not persons either.
Only essence of love.
Because not everything we can think is real.
We are not limited.
Recognizing the unreal, or in other words, what we are not, liberates, blossoms.
To conclude, the subject of egocentrism is only valid from the point of view of a person's existence.
When we investigate, we realize that this logic contradicts itself.
We can't go very far if we don't question it, if we don't investigate.
Thinking that we are thoughts is rather limiting.
------
Little ending poem
Know this:
You are not alone.
You are extraordinary, magnificent, sublime
You radiate love and joy,
You Are,
Thank you for that,
You are infinite possibilities,
Of great beauty,
I believe in you.
-
If you want to see the link to the challenges of today's society I invite you to read the article Revolution
To learn more about identifying with thoughts you can enjoy the podcast How sure are we to tell the difference between what is real and what is not?
This principle of attachment to thoughts is the basis of Yoga.
Yet all that is words too, so let's breath and live now.
- Marie Mazeau Yoga teacher in Paris and online internationally. Beyond time and space. Guiding with gentleness, mindfulness and Joy.
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