The human ego program causes people to saw off the branch they are sitting on. This applies to the individual, to the social group and to the world population. By doing all sorts of things to ourselves and the earth to save our little egos because we don’t know our spiritual core, we achieve the exact opposite. We are not only destroying our private livelihood, but also that of everyone else. We destroy our bodies with alcohol, drugs and nicotine, we destroy soils, atmosphere, forests, waters, marriages and other social relationships, social groups such as the poor, untouchables, minorities such as Roma and even entire peoples such as Aborigines, Hutus or Rohingya. We only do all this out of (unconscious) fear. The paradox is that because we want to save ourselves, we are preventing our salvation. The only salvation would be to give up the thought program that we have to save ourselves, leave the salvation to our inner essence and at the same time take care of the salvation of others. However, this presupposes that we seek the lost connection to our inner self and refrain from our ego battles. This is why the sciences are only concerned with making the ego healthier instead of abolishing it. By striving for self-preservation, the ego prevents its own self-preservation.
Recognizing this rather simple connection is so incredibly difficult because – as the story of creation puts it somewhat flowerily – we live in the “realm of good and evil”: Specifically, the struggle for self-preservation a) often ends “well”, although b) it does not work sustainably, which we forget after a while or do not recognize the connection and c) it is always characterized by pain, agony and rivers of blood.
We all suffer from this hidden program of uncompromising self-preservation or unconditional survival, some more, others less, depending on prenatal conditions, socialization, cultural circumstances, etc. They tend to make us unwell. They tend to make us unpleasant, often turning us into irascible, ravenous animals. As these are unconscious programmes that control us, we also allow ourselves to be controlled without knowing what is happening to us deep down. As I said, Dostoyevsky coined the word “innocent guilty” for this.
Suppose I hit a pedestrian and commit a hit and run. At that moment, the fear of losing my driving licence, of a trial with a conviction for assault, of the social consequences, etc. controlled my behaviour. The alternative control from “above” (see below) – with humanity, helpfulness, sense of responsibility – was inferior. I had the choice, but I reacted in a flash. I didn’t make use of my position at the lever because I didn’t know anything about it and, above all, the massive pressure from “below” paralysed my switching function and/or I didn’t take into account the quiet, gentle influence from above through ignorance. The ego won out across the board.
(Hit-and-runs: on average 500,000 per year nationwide).
All the suffering – not just the fears of it – disappears like the fog through the rays of the morning sun if one would consciously place oneself in dependence on inner guidance. Only concrete experience and, above all, the willingness to take the risk of embarking on the spiritual path can provide proof of this.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)