Dear Burt,

Could you please comment further on: self depreciation being the egos’ greatest strategy for maintaining controll...

Thanks a lot,

A.

Dear A.,

Thank you for your question. When we believe we are just a body and nothing more, we develop self-consciousness with preoccupation with our self-image. This self-image becomes our whole energy, for instance, trying to protect, maintain and defend it. This astounding statement was made by a great wise man Assagioli (founder of psychosynthesis) who said, “95% of our energy is spent protecting, defending and maintaining our self-image and it is only an image — sheer imagination.”

Now, when you believe you are just an image rather than a vast spiritual being, then naturally you will feel small, separate and suffer moments of isolation or loneliness. This feeling of not being good enough, or the feeling of restlessness, inner dread, a feeling as if something is missing is quite prevalent with anyone who doesn’t know they are spiritual beings (their true state).

When this feeling of incompleteness (because we believe we are just a body and nothing mre) then we get moments of self-deprecation, even self-loathing and self-pity. We lack compassion and understanding and so self-deprecation becomes the ego’s greatest strategy to maintain its status quo control. And remember, that control is ego’s way to be in power — because control is deadly afraid of losing control and becoming vulnerable — and so one gets moments of feeling unsafe, being taken advantage of or easily threatened. There is only one way to have peace and it is through the realization of who you really are. Control is always afraid of losing itself, and so, it tries hard to maintain its control and this is why anxiety and fear are its ways. The real power is knowing one’s true state...that’s true empowerment.

With love always,

Burt