Should You Commit Ego Death?
A common resolution to most human conflict is the minimization or eradication of the self in some form. Anxious? Remember that you’re not the centre of the universe and that none of this really matters. Unsure of who you are? The self isn’t constant so why try to find something that’s not there. Relationship issues? Stop focusing on yourself and focus on your partner’s needs.
This usually works. We remind ourselves a few times a day to stop acting selfish and to stop taking ourselves so seriously. Maybe we meditate or journal to really hone in on this idea of the transitory ego. Maybe we pull an Eckhart Tolle and sit on a bench for a year.
But, whether we like it or not, that internet bill has your name on it and so too does all of your past mistakes. You can’t plead not guilty simply because you don’t feel like who you used to be. There is a self, however socially constructed, that dictates our behaviour, choices and overall experience in life. Aside from escaping to the mountains, ridding yourself of all material things and social connections and sitting under a tree for the rest of your life, living without the self is pretty tricky in this day and age.
