Tolle ~ Did the Universe Make a Mistake With the Ego

This is an interesting 9 minute video of a Q&A session with Eckhart Tolle, where a member of the audience asks him if the universe made a mistake with the ego. I love how Tolle includes the parable of the prodigal son. Tolle's answer really puts things into perspective for me. He says that it is all a process of evolution, and we come through the process with a much greater depth and richness than before our adventure began.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bImdyQn43s8&feature=player_embedded

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Comment by Peter Panayiotis Karanikas on October 28, 2012 at 3:12am: I think it is important to understand the purpose of Ego. It is our primary survival mechanism. In its purest state it is our self esteem. That which gives us a sense of importance. The sense of I AM. Which is what the word ego means in Greek, I.

When a baby is hungry, or tired, or frustrated or does poopies in it's nappy, it does not have the ability to get up and change them, or feed itself. It doesn't know that the noise it heard is just a piece of ;paper rustling in the wind. The baby is frightened. And so its Ego, in that moment makes it, and its concerns, in that moment, the most important thing in the universe. And no one thinks twice when a baby cries out for help. It is natural, appropriate and correct for a baby to do so. And we willingly answer its call for help.

The problems begin when ego comes to the rescue in a significant way, Or if the parents don't manage the child's ego effectively, where instead of nurture it, they pander to it. or attack it.. Ego learns a default behaviour that seems to be effective in getting it what it wants, and it sticks. And this learned behaviour has certain triggers that set it off, and they are generally fear based if the behaviour is deemed "to have unfavourable consequences.

And so it is ok for a baby to cry like a baby when it is afraid. However it is considered unacceptable that a grown man cries like a baby when he is afraid, even though the crying is linked to a program that was written when the man was a baby. And so over time that repressed, unexpressed fear turns to frustration. And anger. And that anger then drives angry, selfish behaviours. Those behaviours that we deem to be egoic.

So the game here, if,you want to address the ego and return it to its pristine, uncorrupted, beautiful state of I AM is to go inside and face your fears. Recognize them for what they are. Not the enemy, but a survival mechanism that is protecting you from a danger that no longer exists. Apart from in your memories. All you need to do is give the ego a cuddle, thank it for a job well done under difficult circumstances, a job it was tasked to do with inadequate resources and training, (you wouldn't ask a 5 year old to manage your investment portfolio, for example). And welcome it back in to the community that is all that, I AM.

Namaste.

Comment by Ravenwallsdotter on October 26, 2012 at 6:23pm: Loved watching this video. He makes much sense to me. Thank you for sharing.

Comment by Adonai El Ra on October 26, 2012 at 2:28pm: I have to speak my own take on the question. No the Universe did not make a mistake with Ego, The Ego is incentive, background, and raw material upon which Our True Self and Consciousness are able to profoundly work to produce Character, Character traits, and the Self's True Persona.