Make no mistake, we are at war friends.
Our enemy is deceitful, conniving, and…. surprisingly logical.
Our adversary will strive to convince us that it is not a foe, but a friend.
Our opponent will remind us of all the great things we are, and attribute it to our successes. Then subsequently remind us of all we are not, and attribute it to the failures of others.
Our rival goes by the name of “Ego”, and it has been called the source of ALL conflict! Welcome to Project: E.G.O., the 3-step battle plan for shared victory in our individual battles.
Project Debriefing – Easy Come; Ease Ego:
(1) Empty: breaking “you” down
(2) Gain: building “us” up
(3) Observe: the “bitter” parts and better “whole”
Empty: Breaking “You” Down!
Breaking down the Past:
Mission Objective: Know Thyself… then break it down!
Phase One is intended to “empty” ourselves from our need to individuate and differentiate. We will evaluate ourselves as individuals just long enough to remove the need for future evaluation of ourselves as individuals – this will be replaced by something far greater in Phase Two.
Tactical Plan: Execute the Plan, and Execute the “You”!
- Utilize the past to critically evaluate yourself as an individual, knowing that our enemy has manipulated our perspective for YEARS AND YEARS.
- Reflect upon times where we felt our situation was “unique”. Utilize strong emotional cues to identify these situations/experiences. Whether you felt HURT by others and that the world was against you – or whether you felt PRIDE for your individual accolades is of no importance! The Ego does not care which emotion it conjures up – it cares about its survival, and it survives through ANY emotion which is associated to INDIVIDUALISM.
- Understand that in a world of polarity, YOUR ideas, successes, and failures are all relative. Your skills and opportunities are no better or worse than anyone else’s. Truth can echo through any and all things – as well as any and all people. In fact, it can be argued that, if anything, more can be learned from a CHILD than most adults – simply due to the fact that The Ego has had less time to execute its malicious plan on the youth.
- Begin preparing yourself to let go of “YOU”, as an individual. See yourself as a SMALL part of the WHOLE. See the “WHOLE” as defining the parts rather than, as The Ego strives for, seeing YOUR PART in the whole.
Success Criteria: Letting go of the “You” in Yourself
Some emphasize the importance of “seeing yourself as dirt” in order to successfully complete this mission — however, even THAT is relative.
What is important is you that you become acutely aware of times of egotism, and recognize that, with enough time, all that you are, all that you have, and even “your name” will be lost in history….
Gain: Building “Us” Up!
Planning for the Future:
Mission Objective: Finding a “Whole” New World
Phase Two is centered on filling the void left behind by having removed your ego. The stage was set in the first mission for you to begin building “us” back up by focusing on “the whole”!
Tactical Plan: It’s not about where you were, it’s about where you’re going
- A body can and would exist with a single cell removed, but cannot exist without a single cell. You are an important piece to a puzzle BECAUSE the puzzle is important, not the other way around. Therefore, ignore the fact that YOU are an important piece (as The Ego will insist in this phase), but rather that THERE ARE NO PIECES WITHOUT THE WHOLE.
- Conceive “future success” and align them, not on personal success, but as “success for the whole”. “Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country” — if everyone “did for their country”, than the “country would do more for them”. Success for the puzzle is success for the pieces in it. To strive for our pieces is to take away from the puzzle… However, if we BUILD the puzzle, our pieces will share in its growth.
WARNING: SURPRISE ATTACK – The Ego has an incredibly deceptive way of utilizing one’s spiritual progress against them! In this phase, be weary of spiritual pride! The Ego would happily “admit defeat” with the hope that you take pride in having been a victor — a tactic we address head on in our third mission.
Success Criteria: Complete Awareness and Whole Focus
Upon completion of this mission, there is no “you”, there is only the “whole”. What is good for you alone is BAD for the whole – what is good for the whole, however, will always be good for you in the end. This awareness may slip your mind from time to time, but utilize those slips as a reinforcement to “remember” in the future.
Observe: The Bitter Parts & the Better Whole
Managing the Present:
Mission Objective: Know the Enemy and Win in the Moment
Phase Three is the most trying of the missions, and is sure to test your patience and resilience. In this mission, you must observe in the present – KNOW THE ENEMY. See the adversary in others, see the adversary in you – allow both to present opportunities for yourself in the present moment.
Tactical Plan: Never Stop the Fight
- By this Phase, we have learned from the past and have planned for the future. We now focus on the present, which is the road-map which leads us from a darkened past to a much brighter future.
- Similar to Phase One, where we had critically evaluated our pasts to come to know our enemy better, we must now bring that strategy into the PRESENT.
- Similar to Phase Two, we must systematically follow times of “observing The Ego” with the tactics we’ve learned in Phase Two, with a “whole” awareness.
- Many Soldiers will fall in this phase, but triumph is measured by their ability to rise again. It does not matter when they rise – only that they rise. There is ALWAYS time to rise again once one has fallen, for remember, The Ego does not want to destroy you, it NEEDS you. It relies on you for survival. It feeds off you like a malicious parasite, manipulating your will and perception; it strives to collaborate with you in order to give rise to YOU (and IT), so that you believe you as an individual are somehow “greater than the whole”.
Success Criteria: Selfless Love
The success criteria of the two other phases, overcoming yourself AND appreciating the “whole”, cascades into A SINGLE INFALLIBLE TRUTH.
“Selfless Love” is the weapon which defeats The Ego. It is also a spiritual point of singularity where one is actually putting their happiness into the happiness of others, the success of the whole!
By being worthless as an individual, one can become more FEARLESS. By living for the success of the whole, one will have an unwavering confidence in their path.
WARNING: COUNTER-STRIKE – The Warriors which make it to this phase recognize the immense power of “selfless love” – a single point of truth shining in the darkest of valleys which can always be marched toward. And yes my friends, that “fearlessness” and “confidence” will leave a sliver of hope for our adversary…. Phase 3 does not complete – Phase 3 does not have a conclusion, and cannot be completed. Phase 3 is the keen awareness that The Ego can, and will, always strive to mount a comeback.
The war on the ego is won through recognition that it is a never-ending battle. The internal conflict is infinite – and the only two sides are You against You.
Choose your side wisely.
I wish “us” continued success as you wage your war in the great battle within, Soldier.
Inspired through a conversation with Aviral @ Cherrypositive.com, check-out his insights when you have a chance!!