Apr 06

3 Questions You Constantly Ask Yourself

Posted in Spiritual Guidance | Email This Post Email This Post | by James Rick

The Ego is guided by 3 impulses that with the invention language can now be articulated in the form of questions.

1. How do I perceive myself?

2. How do others perceive me?

3. How can I expand this perception?

Examples:

ADOLF HITLER
1) He perceived himself as a savior of the German people over an unjust WWI treaty, the Treaty of Versailles.
2) With the growing support for the Nazi party this validated his savior identity for himself
3) To expand this perception he would need to overcome opposition. He would need to show the people that he could improve their quality of living and overcome the forces he believed were working against them: the ‘weaker races’. He worked tirelessly to do this. And finally when his savior identity had been crushed by evidence that they were losing the war (within himself) the pain was too great and so he shot himself.

MOTHER THERESA
1) She perceived herself as a savior of the poor.
2) With the growing support from the Catholic church and the growth of her own organization, this identity was validated.
3) To expand this perception she became a global voice for those that could not speak for themselves, a champion for poverty.

A DEPRESSED PERSON
1) They perceive themselves as worthless or life as meaningless.
2) This identity is validated by the fact that nobody calls them on on special occasions or their work goes unappreciated.
3) They expand this perception by complaining to anyone who will listen, or showing outward signs of distress.

THE 3 QUESTIONS FIRST EXISTED AS IMPULSES

Remember that these questions were not always in the form of words. Ego formed BEFORE language existed. That’s why we can now use more accurate language to describe the questions. But these questions could not always be clearly articulated, in the past they were not questions at all but impulses or feelings. A person felt compelled to do these things without knowing why, or even having the ability to describe what motivated them. But now language enables us to isolate these three particular elements of the Ego. With language we are now beginning to understand the code behind the human personality; we have isolated the code and now we can consciously rewrite it.

CONSIDER THE POWER OF LANGUAGE TO GUIDE FOCUS

Consider this article – a series of words directing your attention to a place deep within. Without language, imagine the difficulty I would have helping you pin point this energy deep inside you. Perhaps language will evolve to a point where even these three questions can be dissected with greater clarity but for now language has reached a level sufficient to label, discuss and redirect Ego / personality impulses.

VALIDATE THESE QUESTIONS FOR YOURSELF

Don’t take my word for the existence of these three Ego /personality impulses. Observe yourself and others carefully for the next few days.

  • Why do you feel worthless if your work is not appreciated?
  • Why do you work hard to impress others?
  • Why do you work to show outward signs of significance or progress?
  • Why do you instantly react to perceived insult or loss with pain?
  • Why do you feel uncomfortable when others glorify themselves?
  • Why do you even get dressed in the morning?
  • What prevents you from telling a person face to face what their intentions are?
  • Why can’t you discuss Ego openly?
  • What prevents you from behaving like a child, or requiring an excuse like alcohol, even though sometimes it might feel liberating?

EGO OPERATES BASED ON PERCEPTION

Ego impulses (the 3 questions) are responsible for all the uncomfortable friction we experience in social settings, imagine millions of fragile Egos all competing for expansion of perception. This is why it’s a great relief for two or more evolved people to put their Ego on the table and discuss it openly.

Because the Ego operates on perception it wants itself to be viewed in the biggest most positive light. But here’s the greatest danger, the Ego’s perception only expands when it is valued by those it loves or respects. It doesn’t care if everyone views it positively, just those with whom it perceives as valuable.That’s why some scientists have an elitist attitude within their own academic community or many world leaders view the people they govern as expendable.

THE EGO AND ITS IMPULSES ARE TOOLS

Evolution seems to have installed these questions into our neurological hardware as tools for greater evolution, but like all tools their are use is open ended; they can be used to build or destroy. These impulses are expressed in healthy ways when a person to form an identity (Ego / personality) that honors them through personal growth and contribution to society. These impulses are expressed in destructive ways when a person honors them through personal growth at any cost.

THE EGO ANSWERS THE 3 QUESTIONS EVERY DAY IN A MYRIAD OF WAYS

I assume unless you’ve made an intensive Soul searching journey – you are not aware of the complex behaviors your Ego performs to answer these 3 questions. Unconscious decision making manifests itself into all kinds of distorted activities that appear to satisfy these three questions.

  • When a person is angry, they do so in reaction to a shrinking perception of Ego. They want to expand their perception in that moment and they use anger as a tool. They are usually unconscious of why they are getting angry or the biological chemicals that support the assertion of anger, which is why anger can manifest into all kinds of unhealthy behaviors. But the cause is still the same – asserting the expanded concept of Ego to themselves and others. This is a “I’ll show you..” mentality.
  • When a person is sad, it’s usually due to a loss in the perception of themselves. Something they believed about life is now called into question. Any time a comfort zone is intruded upon, the Ego feels smaller. If they can do anything about it first they might react with anger, but then sadness. A person could be sad because they have a “What I thought, is not the way it is.” mentality.
  • When a person is happy this is often due to an expansion in perception of Ego. They have acquired more than they had before. Often the first thing a person wants to do is tell people of their gains, but unless a person has a strong awareness of Ego – they will feel their own Ego shrinking and behind their veneer of congratulations they experience envy. A happy Ego is in a “I’ve just become greater.” mentality. An envious Ego feels “I’ve just become less.”

THE EGO ARISES OUT OF THOUGHT

The Ego is a phenomenon that rises out of conscious thought. Ego is an emerging property of consciousness – much like a flower is an emerging property of a seed.

It’s important to understand that three states of conscioussness are the product of the Ego answering the three basic questions.

No depressed person chooses to be depressed, this would go against their basic instinct for pleasure. Animals are never depressed because they don’t have to think. So why are humans depressed or unhappy? Because they are capable of thinking!

HOW DO YOU DEVELOP THE EGO IN A HEALTHY WAY?

#1 Redirect Ego impulses by framing the 3 questions in a more conscious and empowering way.

1) How do I want to perceive myself?
2) How do I want others to perceive me?
3) What actions can I take to expand the perception of myself in the most constructive ways?

These questions are still very open ended. These questions have to be open ended because the mind is an open system. There are infinite number of contexts or perceptions for billions of people. But consciousness of these more empowering questions will cause you to be more aware of basic instinctive programming. Improvement follows awareness just as surely as a duck follows its mother.

#2 Discuss the Ego / personality openly with people whom you trust.

Because you live 24 hours a day inside your own Ego / personality it can be helpful for others to help you examine it. Most people lack receiving or giving external feedback because the fragile Ego hates shrinking and unsolicited comments are viewed as unwanted criticism; this is a “You’re not accepting me as I am” mentality. Open yourself up to criticism with people you know have nothing but your best interest at heart – this will give you a greater degree of understanding of yourself.

#3 Remember all the Ego really strives for is love

Only you a force greater than than the Ego can give this to your Ego / personality (known by *YOUR NAME*). This goes for ALL people. It sounds mushy, but people must become aware of the fact that they love them selves. (The Soul loves the Ego) This overrides the Ego’s need for expansion at all cost. Give love to yourself and give it to others freely. This is one resource you have in infinite supply and clearly there is a huge demand!

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