Egos everywhere

I've often referred to a person's ego as values, beliefs and identity. Now, we can experience ego and these characteristics first-hand in our social lives.

Today, there is an enormous divide between people in our society. The divide has a lot to do with ego. At this time, one of the simplest, yet prominent, areas displaying ego in our society is mask wearing.

Not wearing or wearing a mask has become a statement, a competition and a behavior for non-mask promoters as well as mask promoters. By statement, I mean a political and a personal statement. Both are ego statements.

As a political statement, non-mask promoters are saying they follow the current government administration's beliefs but as a personal statement, these promoters are saying no one can tell us what to do. In the first instance, the ego is identifying with a segment of the collective, as in a sports competition, choosing one side of the collective. In the second instance, the ego is expressing personal beliefs and values. In both cases, only the individual's concerns, that is ego concerns, are being expressed. The mask promoters also are expressing ego identities, personal values and beliefs in similar ways.

It is clear from these examples, how a person's ego can form opinions and judgments. It is clear how a person's ego presents itself as the most important psychological element within a person, saying: "This is who I am. This is what makes me important. This is how I can stand-out among others and be seen. I know what is important in life. I know how to do it the right way." From these perspectives, the phrases egotistical and self-centered have developed, meaning a person is so full of personal views that nothing else matters. When these views become even more pronounced and everything that occurs in life is related to a person's ego, then an egotistical person becomes narcissistic.

How can we move beyond the ego to a psychological experience and position that is not self-centered or egotistical, and is that important? Of course, it's important! People are relational, meaning relationships are typically critical for a person's life. Often, however, people have limited meaningful relationships outside of their families, yet our world is full of countless other people outside of our families.

We can move beyond the ego when we care, empathize and feel for other people. That's when the one-sided sports-like competition vanishes, and we find ourselves experiencing everyone else similar to us.