Where Does Ego Come From?
By Darryl Duke. Filed in Living |Tags: happy with self, overcoming fear, self love, self worth, strength, true happiness
I’ve heard people who while apologizing for something bad they said to someone during an argument say things like, “I guess my ego just got the best of me and that’s why I acted the way I did,” or ” Yeah, my pride and ego has always been a problem for me, and I need to get it under control” As a matter of fact in some of the AA literature, “Pride and Ego” is mentioned as something many Alcoholics have way too much of and is said to be the cause for some of the difficulties they face in life. While I would never dispute that pride and ego has caused some of my own difficulties in life and much of the unhappiness I’ve experienced. It wasn’t until I began working on overcoming the many fears and insecurities I felt about myself and life in general, that I was able to see how it was actually those things that were behind the prideful and egotistical behaviors I exhibited. I also knew if I ever wanted to stop behaving in that manner and be happier in life, I needed to continue overcoming my fears and insecurities. I did this by using the tools of prayer, people, and hope and by believing in a creator I call god. Today I simply remind myself of who I am and who I am not, and try to practice some level of humility in my day to day affairs. As a result, I experience less fears and insecurities, have very few self created difficulties in life, and I feel much happier. I can also say that today I have a true sense of ego and a more appropriate pride in myself. I will add, however, that if it weren’t for all the times when my fears and insecurities caused me to act out in the prideful and egotistical ways I did, I wouldn’t know the difference between having a false sense of ego or a true one.
