What is Ego?
Ego is the rational part of “self” which makes itself its own object of contemplation (and knows it has done so). It finds its reference point through past events, present experiences, and imagination of the future; self is the part which remembers, evaluates, plans, and is responsive (negatively or positively) to social interactions with the physical world. A developed Ego is capable of change – under the parameters of spiritual enlightenment, threat, illness, or changes in life circumstances. The Spiritual rebirth of ‘self’ is an awakening to a new perception of objects, people, and knowledge of what is considered truth. To identify a Spiritual “self” is to describe it as a connection with the Spirit of creation.
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Everyone perceives the Creator in different ways. Yet the Creator remains changeless. His plan exists from eternity to eternity. Unbelief and doubt derive from a secular ego-based belief system we oftentimes adopt as truth. The ego always clashes with the illumination of the Spirit. The ego labels God as absurd and meaningless. Those led by the ego claim there’s no afterlife, no Spirit, no intuition for faith. Only those willing to climb up the mountain of Spiritual illumination can awaken to the fact there’s a Creator of all things. Another world beyond ours.
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What is my purpose in life? Why am I here? Who created all of this? Why is there so much suffering in the world? Why do I feel emptiness at times? Is there a hell? Is there a heaven? Is there a God?
Our life is full of questions. Religion, science, and other life-teaching mechanisms can only stretch us so far with knowledge of truth. Then another question arises. What is truth? The answer lies in the illumination of the Spirit. Not in the dark alleys of our soul, hiding, pretending, and masking who we really are. Enlightenment doesn’t just come about, it must be sought with the desire to see the unseen. Faith is what removes the veil from our heart and soul. Faith is what awakens us to our life’s destiny; what empowers us to love others and the world around us. Most of us choose to remain trapped and caged behind the secular teachings we were taught as a child – from our parents, teachers, friends, the media, religion, books, which diminish the revelation of the I AM. We are divine and eternal people. Our human characteristics are love, kindness, and compassion. Our spiritual identity is always crying out to be set free.
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The day is overcast. I catch myself – longer than usual – staring out the dirty, stained, vertical window of my prison cell, meditating over the creation of our world; the birds flying here and there, the trees out on the far horizon, the embittered clouds opaquing the sky, and the breath of life I am breathing in and out reminding me of the Creator’s goodness … but then something happens. My perception changes and I see metal bars on the window, coiled razor-sharp-barb-wire looped on top of the metal fences upon metal fences, consequently questioning my purpose in life. I take a step back from the window, and I say, “who lives in you now?” This prison experience is temporal. What matters is your birth in Christ. Your rebirth in the Spirit. Your life has purpose and meaning. Have faith. Have assurance in what you believe. Trust the creator.”
A moment later, after the self talk, I feel better. I perceive life with more gratitude. I look out the window again and see the trees out on the perimeter through a different lens, they seem to have now taken on a new significance. Even the cloudy sky has its purpose. Even my prison experience has its own fulfillment.
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September 11, 2001
The day was like any other. Except for the moment I walked into my prison unit about 9:00 in the morning. I had just got off work from Unicor (the prison textile factory) to attend one of my rehabilitation classes. Most of the inmates were glued to the television. I asked one of the inmates what was going on? Buildings were on fire, people scrambling everywhere. The newscaster seemed agitated. He said, “You don’t know how much joy I’m feeling right now. But I’m holding it in. Praise Allah.” At the time I did not understand why would anyone feel joy for such tragic event. I didn’t comprehend how God could be praised for such act of terrorism. Although I was confined with inmates who wouldn’t think twice of stabbing you for feeling disrespected, I couldn’t accept the fact that people in general would rationalize their evil deeds in the name of God. Years later, I learned that it’s not the proclivity for evil in us humans that impels us to kill, maim, or destroy humanity in the name of God, but rather the adopting of an ego-based belief system that’s not aligned with the Spirit of creation. The religious Christian church and other religious sects throughout history have promoted such erroneous beliefs which tend to operate under the misguided rationale of deception. When we employ an ideology based on hate, exclusion, separation, and sectarianism – we create chaos. When we promote an ideal of hate instead of love and compassion, we engender bias and prejudice. When we advocate the belief that if we befriend others who don’t believe like us, don’t dress like us, talk like us, we promote ignorance and darkness. Only the Spirit of creation can lead us to the truth of who we are as people. Only the Spirit can unify us. Only the Spirit can eradicate all of those internalized ego-based belief systems we tend to adopt in error.
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What is going to define us in the end? What awaits us after death, after the soul separates itself from the body? I say it’s the choices we make here on a daily basis. Our earthly journey is only a prelude of what’s to come. When we die, we don’t merely cease to exist, we are translated to a different world of consciousness. A place where we will be known as we were known here on earth.
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The world oftentimes chooses to walk in darkness, unwilling to recognize that LOVE is the answer. The decalogue of the ten commandments: You shall not kill, You shall not swear falsely against your neighbor, You shall not steal, honor your father and mother … are all based on love. If I love the creator and all things created I shall love my neighbor – despite culture, nationality, creed, or color. All throughout history it has been the women and men of faith who decided to love in a sacrificial manner the ones who’ve changed the world for the better. In substance we are love. We need not be afraid to demonstrate it.
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