Let us go on an ego diet

We have heard of many kinds of diet, the keto diet, the raw food diet, the vegan diet, the water diet and many more. However, there are hardly any suggested for the mind. With stress and depression levels increasing at remarkable levels, it is perhaps good to explore diets in this area too and here, I think ego would be a good place to begin.

I remember a classmate of mine in college who used to keep boasting that she had travelled all over the world to all of us all the time. When she once mentioned that Africans never wore any garments at home, we realised that her so-called knowledge and travels were all fake.  This made me check credentials with almost everyone in life as she had been a good liar and many of us, including me, were in awe of her at one time. This also made me understand that human beings have a tendency to lie to satisfy their own ego.

What is ego?

Ego is created by us to make us feel better than we actually are. Therefore, it is an artificial creation and not real. It has been found that humans possess a brain that wants to be admired and therefore have the temptation to be egoistical. People who have built a brand for themselves are more susceptible to be egotistical. Even professionals like politicians, journalists, teachers, engineers, lawyers, and physicians and so on are all prey to egoism.

True self esteem is never egotistical for when we know a little, we know there is a lot more to learn and hence we become humble. I remember a very knowledgeable professor of mine who always used to tell us he only learnt there was a lot more to learn in his subject and asked all of us to keep learning till the end of our lives in his subject and others too.

Knowledge and ego

The fact is when we  learn a little, we  feel you know a lot, but when we learn a lot, we realise we know very little. This is what most great people have said, however great they may have become in their field. In a sense, it is this trait of theirs that took them to greater heights. For thirst for earning is the best tonic for knowledge.

The true result of knowledge is therefore humility and never ego.  Knowledge is fed with more knowledge and never through fake statements usually given by cronies for their own selfish needs which is what is happening a lot in today’s world.

Going on an ego diet

The first thing to ask ourselves when we feel as if we can rule the world is what triggered this feeling ? Is it a salesman pandering to you to sell his product or an insult that made you feel you need to rule the world to take revenge on him/her. The fact is the reason says a lot about you and your feelings and this is true for all feelings, including ego.

With toddlers and children, parents usually give a lot of praise to motivate their child. This however is to make them feel loved and never to bloat their ego. When they see the child going on a path that boosts their ego, good parents usually guide them on the right path of discipline and never pander to their egos. For they know this will only make them susceptible to be fooled by  others who cater to their egos. So, yes, all sensible people know that one’s ego could be the achilles heels in our lives. This does not vanish easily but needs to be worked on. In fact, this is usually the greatest battle for all human beings in the journey of their lives. There have been battles found to pander to this requirement of people like we all know. We are not kings or warriors but all of us eternally do fight an inner battle with our own selves. This is something that we need to do always in a proper manner as long as we are alive. As the challenge is also our own minds, fortunately this is possible but often fighting with our own inner demons becomes extremely challenging. The fact however is this battle can make us true victors in life.  This is possible only by going on an ego diet and being indifferent to fake compliments.

Like in all areas, the only solution is working on our own selves to become better people. We would then automatically realise the truth of life and our own selves and in the process, go on an ego diet without having to work on it separately for truth and ego can never be partners.