Last week I encouraged myself to let go of my ego. I contemplated a society with no egos and wondered if the commonality would be loneliness and despair or compassion and community. I am guessing that question arose because the only truly unpretentious fellowship I have personal experience with, involved (at least in part) being an outcast and/or a member of a minority; which circumstance actually resulted in some shared compassion and a cautious sense of community, but also involved a good deal of loneliness and despair.

I believe there are like-minded affiliations (closely-knit and sharing a groupthink mentality) that may experience an egoless bond, but in this circumstance I don't believe it uncommon that the group itself be characterized by a disdainful, smug arrogance toward outsiders. And I believe within any group, given enough time, a hierarchy will form and egos will reappear.

So I come back to the question, is a consistently compassionate, sincere humility even possible over an extended period of time? And if it is possible for an individual or even a like-minded group, can those lessons extend across the maze of man-made borders and barriers we have created?

This latter scenario seems overwhelmingly impossible. But then, according to hopelesshappiness.com, so does Happiness; and I have not yet given up in that search, as further illustrated by my belief that efforts toward an empathetic, compassionate sense of community stretching across all boundaries will bring me closer to Truth, Wisdom, and Happiness, than will a sense of entitlement, a yearning for power, or the belief that 'I' know what is best and right. I should start with 'me'.

Unfortunately, I do not always practice what I preach ... It is easier said than done ... Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone ...

So who am I to be pursuing the impossible? Upon close examination, based on all the cliches and parables we could throw at this, as well as my personal history, I should be one of the last people touting the benefits of no ego. But based strictly on ego-experience, I may make a pretty good test subject for an 'ego-free' experiment. My ego often shows up as anger. As the years have gone by I have learned to control this outward ego-expression, but inwardly it remains; and at times it dominates. (I'm not sure these initial thoughts will evolve into a full-blown study or experiment, but I am curious about its feasibility and potential results.)

So how do 'I' get away from 'me'? Don't we encourage independent thought and diversity? And don't we teach our children (at least in this culture) that each one of us is special and unique? So perhaps an ego is necessary. Or perhaps it is just so ingrained into the fabric of what we have become, that it has become necessary.

Maybe we could layer or segment our individual humanity, allowing for an ego empirically and rationally, and reining it in emotionally and spiritually. At first glance it seems this would allow for individual expression, and at the same time encourage tolerance, compassion, empathy, learning, and growth; ultimately leading us closer to Truth, Wisdom, and Happiness. Or am I getting a little carried away?

(Slow down ... Question everything ... Think it through ... Dig deeper ...)

To clarify - My ego by (my) definition has more relevance to and influence on my daily existence than anything originating from outside of me. What I am suggesting above is that my ego should be predominant in the interpretation of empirical, sensory data, and in the reasoning process (my mind) and its outcomes. These (personally) rational outcomes can and do guide/influence my emotions and spiritual sense/beliefs, however my ego should not interfere with or attempt to thwart other's spiritual or emotional ego outcomes. So instead of saying 'no egos', perhaps I am suggesting (in regard to emotions and spirituality) - 'No Predominant Egos'.

Yet, in a way, if one's emotional base and sense of spirituality is a result of one's empirical interpretations (perception) and reasoning, then it is in these areas (empirically and rationally) where one's ego resides, which strengthens the premise that there should be no judgments of right or wrong within, around, or about emotional and spiritual expression - with one caveat - DO NO HARM! Therefore it seems the ego does not belong in the emotional or spiritual realms to begin with, so perhaps I am closer to where I began in encouraging 'no egos' - or more accurately, 'no ego expression'. When we express ourselves empirically or rationally we are typically matter-of-fact or reasonable. When we express ourselves emotionally or spiritually we run the risk of being controversial, adversarial, and/or overbearing.

So back to the question How do 'I' get away from 'me'? - Perhaps I can begin by learning to create some distance between the realms. This way I could recognize emotional and spiritual expression (emanating from myself or others) when it appears, thus allowing for equal time and consideration of all perspectives. Once recognized, since I have stated that the ego has no place in these interactions, I should work my way back to empirical and rational expression. It has been a rather long, circuitous route to arrive at the conclusion that I should 'act like an adult', but it is interesting in that it seems the way 'I' can get away from 'me' is by returning to 'me'.

The essence of 'me' is empirical and rational.

The spiritual 'me' is a result of my perception and reasoning, but also comes from my intuition, which is difficult to articulate. Due to its esoteric nature it can appear to others as confused, exaggerated, foolish, or futile, and due to its sacrosanct significance it can also enflame emotions.

The emotional 'me' is also a result of my perception and reasoning, and should be channeled accordingly (empirically and rationally) so my ego (which should be the essence of 'me') does not manifest itself as a distorted, monstrous perversion of 'me'.

I think most of us (excluding celebrities, politicians, and bureaucrats) do act like adults most of the time; at least outwardly. Perhaps by structuring individual humanity (empirical-rational-emotional-spiritual) and identifying appropriate ego expression within this structure, I will additionally gain inward maturity. Awareness is the first step.

I am going to make an effort to spend more time off my pedestal. And after this week's thoughts, I believe time off my pedestal to be more urgently important when I am alone than when I am interacting with others.