1/ I believe the problematic thing is that, short term, the ego is right in wanting to avoid its fears.
Thanks for the input. It's another useful model for understanding the way the ego functions in this particular context.
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What we refer to as the ego is descriptive and contextual. There are multiple layers to what can be referred to as the ego.
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The surface layers of behavior can be (more or less) easily discerned. Not so easy with the deeper ones (motivations, neural pathways etc.)
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Therefore I find it more useful to associate the word "ego" within a functional context such as the one re: fear in order to make a point.
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You hinted upon a universal aspect of the ego which my understanding and intuition have led me to believe is a constant across all layers.
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Namely that the ego operates with the assumptions of constants; whether they pertain to the internal or external reality.
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The way in which the ego establishes its own perceived reality is precisely by manipulating behavior to validate those assumptions.
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I focused on a particular aspect which seems to me to be the most damaging consequence of ego-based behavior, long term.
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Within this context the ego seeks to maintain itself as a constant to the detriment of the person's existence, well-being and flourishing.
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The larger point is that the ego is the very antithesis to life, as reality is anything but fixed, certain or constant.
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The expected negative emotional outcome in the short term is perceived as real as long as one remains within the boundaries set by the ego.
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As you correctly pointed out, the outcome of any experience is fundamentally unknown, and this is crucial to understand in this context.
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The ego is afraid of being invalidated by the outcome of that experience; it is afraid of being proven wrong.
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The more one relies on a static representation of self/reality as a crutch, the more they are afraid of that safety being swept away.
End of conversation
New conversation -
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