EGO- Edging God Out!

Dr Sumedha Kushwaha *

This was a wonderfully adventurous week which gave me certain lessons of life! I understood one thing for sure, that the human race has two characteristics in common- We are all liars. We are all cowards. It hurts a man’s ego when he is called a Liar or a Coward.

On hearing this, we embody the spirit of Gandhi and try to become Hulk at the same time to get on an incessant journey to prove to ourselves and others- that we are perfect. Sorry! We are not.

We have become so deaf, that we can only listen to words. We have stopped observing. If words are the language of the mind, eyes speak the language of the heart. If tone depicts feelings, touch demonstrates unsaid emotions.

If vocabulary signifies someone’s intelligence quotient, it’s the patience that talks about the emotional quotient. But in this fast paced world- we don’t have time to understand- we only hear with diverted and half-hearted attention. But, yes- that’s called Multi-Tasking nowadays.

We lie to ourselves about how we feel because we are too timid to admit that we really are that way. And just when we are on the verge of connecting with the real self and actually listening to who we are and how we feel--- BASH! Comes the pragmatic “Conscious Mind” which tells us the pros and cons of the situation like a judge in the court.

It tells you, that we had a past, you were rejected last time, how can you feel so good? OUCH and the “memories” come to the conscious mind’s rescue. They will open a large library of all mp4 files of the worst things that happened and flash it on the screen of your mind—even dimming the feel of the present.

KNOCK! KNOCK! Here comes the most beloved of all – our dear friend – “Fear” which tells us how can something go wrong in the future- It tells you secretly, Be careful, this is surely a risky ride. And then the master of the ceremony- “Guilt” their long lost relative- Oh My God! If you follow your heart, do you know how many hearts you break?

And BAM! you crush the reality to the ground- you tell your heart- but all these guys in my head cannot be wrong. You are heart- you are usually stupid, that’s what I have been told. And this is how we selectively listen to only that we are primed to believe as the conventional truth.

Ego is not just directed outwards, a lot of that toxicity happens inwards too. By not listening to ourselves, we use the ego to dominate us. I feel, when your gut tells you something, its god speaking to you.

But when the monsters in your head guide that decision making, then in Dr. Wayne Dyer’s words, who is my eternal mentor- we use EGO- Edge God Out.

Take out time this week to do something that you have always wished for. When you are in conversations with people, try to not just listen but understand too. Before fighting with someone, develop empathy and think from that person’s perspective too.

Before doing an action, think of the consequences too. And before jumping to conclusions, give yourself time to gather information and try not to edge god out while taking a decision.