The Surrender of the Ego
Almost everyone knows someone that professes to "know
everything." These people are never wrong, seldom accept advice
and once they stake out a position, they will do anything to
defend it. At best, they are perfectionists. At worst, they can
become delusional as they fight to avoid being wrong by
reinterpreting events that would otherwise cast them in a
negative light.
Most people with large egos are reasonably successful. Their
followers stroke their egos, which makes them difficult to deal
with. When trouble surfaces, the temptation is to sit back, wait
for "the fall," and gloat when "he gets what he deserves." But
when you come across such an individual, try not to deal too
harshly with him. The universe is setting him up for a dramatic
lesson that will hopefully propel him forward in his spiritual
evolution. His ego is about to be crushed, but once he recovers
he will be better off for it.
Recently, I saw this firsthand. Mr. Perfect was a detail
oriented businessman who was unable to delegate and dismissive
of advice. He was directing a project that was heading for
disaster, but refused all forms of help. At the last minute, he
was "ordered" to accept help. An extremely gifted individual,
Mr. Helper, came in at the last minute, but was unable to save
the project. Everyone involved commented on the awesome
contribution Mr. Helper had made and how lucky Mr. Perfect would
be to have him on his team as they moved forward.
Mr. Perfect had a different opinion. Rather than accept any
fault for the project's failure, he argued that he would have
succeeded if it hadn't been for Mr. Helper. To make matters
worse, he issued an ultimatum: either he or Mr. Helper had to
go. No one could talk him out of his irrational position. Mr.
Helper is now running the project.
Mr. Perfect's desire to be right drove him to "cut off his nose
to spite his face." It seemed to trump all logic including his
self-interest.
But from a mystic perspective, this was completely logical and
furthermore, inevitable.
Mystics recognize that the subjugation of the ego is a necessary
step towards enlightenment. Remember, the goal of a mystic is
direct communion with God. As you attune daily with your divine
aspect or Master Within, your goal is eventually to align your
will with the will of God. To do this fully, the ego must
surrender.
To surrender the ego does not mean that you become a meek,
little doormat that invites abuse. Quite the contrary, when the
ego is subjugated to the will of God, you become a spiritual
powerhouse. You become fearless in confronting people in
positions of authority for, in effect, you are now speaking with
God's voice.
On the other hand, the ego has no interest in you attaining your
full spiritual potential. The ego wants to be in charge. It will
create all sorts of rationalizations to keep itself in power and
prevent such a shift. It's similar to a politician rationalizing
why he supported a bill that was not in his constituents' best
interest. "If I don't vote for it, then the next guy will, and
then I won't be around to fight for my constituents when a more
important issue arises." That's the difference between a
politician and a leader.
Surrendering the ego can be even more difficult for someone that
has attained a high degree of success in his life. The star
quarterback, rock star, business mogul or political figure all
possess worldly power. They have fans, shareholders or followers
that idolize them.
The biblical adage that it is easier for a camel to go through
the eye of a needle than for a rich man to go to heaven, would
be equally true if "business mogul," "politician" or "celebrity"
were substituted for "rich man." The point is that people that
are admired are much more reluctant to surrender the ego than
someone with much less to lose.
At the same time, as spiritual beings living a human existence,
the Master Within drives all of us to evolve. The eventual
surrender of the ego is inevitable. If the conscious mind/ego
does not pay attention, the message gets louder. If it is
ignored, then eventually, a critical point will be reached and a
meltdown will occur.
To avoid a meltdown, consult the Master Within for advice on a
daily basis. When your connection becomes strong enough, you
will become infused with spiritual power. Rather than a
meltdown, others will look to you for guidance, because they
will recognize that you speak the Truth.