Exploration of how the mind constructs the illusion of “self”
Mind is the biggest mystery of our perceivable universe. It can categorize, it can identify, differentiate and label everything around us. It can observe contrast; opposites and it can also judge. As a whole, mind is the most efficient super computer but without an operating manual of its own. Furthermore, the most fascinating attribute of mind is it’s ability to construct the idea of “Self”.
“The ego creates a false sense of self that replaces your true consciousness, making you identify with your thoughts and emotions instead of being aware of the present moment.” – Eckhart Tolle
Almost from the age of 7-8 years, our human minds start identifying ourselves through a complex and intricate web of perceptions, memories, instincts, experiences and beliefs. It relentlessly keeps weaving the web. With age, this delicate web keeps solidifying itself until it becomes a robust super structure of ‘self-identity’. Through increasing selective information, observations, learnings, interactions and interpretations this web of self identity solidifies itself to replace our original identity with a complex web of surface identities better known as Ego. It not only replaces our true identities but it also acts as a tainted glass through which we experience life and reality thereafter.
“The moment the ‘I’ becomes central, it replaces the vastness of consciousness with a limited, fragmented sense of self.” – J. Krishnamurti
Almost 99.99% of grown-ups I ever come across really believe that their minds are their true identity. Every interaction, every experience, every sensory input gets sifted through our minds. Hence, all our life experiences of reality are not objective reality but are actually a result of subjective interpretation of our minds. Hence 8 billion pepople living on Earth experience 8 billion subjective interpretations of reality. The emotional filter of mind paints every experience based on our past memories and experiences stitched together with emotion.
“The ego is an illusion that replaces our deeper consciousness, creating a false sense of separation from the universe.” – Deepak Chopra
Our families, internal dialogues and learning reinforces the sense of ‘separate self’ or the ego. Actually, this separate self is an illusion carefully weaved by our minds. It gradually becomes very efficient in navigating ourselves between pain and pleasure. Our minds are hardwired to avert pain and it feels an irresistible attraction towards pleasure. This habit of oscillating between pain and pleasure is the fundamental law governing every action of our lives. Be it our relationships, social interactions, financial transactions- the underlying objective for all these is basically our repulsion towards pain and attraction towards pleasure. And the Ego takes the driving wheel who keep prompting a dialogue box warning us of all possible pains and threats which might that it can perceive through its overinflated sense of self.
Proprioception is the body’s sense of position and movement. It shapes our self-awareness, and strong identification with it can reinforce ego, while mindful awareness can help transcend ego-body attachment.
The mechanism of Ego is very simple. Ego inflates and take the shape of our physical body so that we can move across the fabric of time and space. We are able to walk, run, swim, crawl and even calculate or compare heights or speed. Thus Ego when inflated within our physical body gives us locomotion. But this ability of Ego to inflate itself do not limit itself within our physical body.
A child has his/ her ego invested in his/ her toys, dress, books, tricyle etc. That’s a reason why many kids get posessive about their belongings. He/ She starts believing that his/ her posessions are not mere posessions but an extension of their physical identity. During the process of growing up, the ego of the child keeps transcending his surface identities derived from schools, colleges, academic ranks, friends, universities and even professional designations. It can further inflate and encompass bank balance, properties, cars etc.
An Ego infested mind can get abnormally inflated. If a dog pees on my property 1000 kms away, I can sense the stink and feel irked about the dog. If a child playfully scratches my car, it feels like the child has scratched my own heart. This is all because of our inflated sense of ego where we start considering our possessions are our own being.
Polarizing capacity of Human minds
Moreover, an unexamined mind also has the ability to polarize our understanding in terms of good- bad, beauty- ugly, white and black etc. It always polarizes us and never allows us to accept or embrace the beauty of duality. Even though the entire world is stricken with religious or moral fanaticism- a deeper introspection of religious scriptures reveals that the true purpose of spiritualism or humanism is learning to embrace the beauty of duality or the inevitability of polarity.
“The human dilemma is that we are torn between our desire for independence and our need for connection—an internal bipolar tension rooted in the ego.” – Erich Fromm
This mechanism of polarity does not entail us at the time of our birth. However, as we grow up- this habit of polarizing reality becomes the driving force of our entire existence. We learn to perceive the entire world through a schismatic and polarized view which comforts the mental illusion of “self-identity”. It is our mind that triggers our fight-flight or freeze response only to safeguard the illusion of “self”. It compels us to fight, bicker, love (so called), and even flee from uncomfortable situations, only to protect the identity of “self”. Everyone we see around is operating in their mental universe based on the subjective interpretations of their respective minds. From patriotism to progeny- the mind plays the pivotal role in safeguarding the sense of “self” by shaping our actions, behaviors and mental cognition.
Coming Up: A deeper introspection of our Ego
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Disclaimer: Happiness or suffering has a lot to do with our consciousness and cognitive abilities. This article is an attempt to deep dive into the human consciousness by the author. From academic research papers, spiritual scriptures, science journals and interviews of different researchers of neuroscience and quantum physics, the author has tried to present his idea of human consciousness. It does not intend to hurt or discourage any belief, community, community, organization or individual. The study of consciousness has not yet been wholly included in mainstream science because science solely relies on evidences derived from sensory inputs, however consciousness is something beyond human sensory perception. Thus if you like the article or disliked it- we would love to hear your comments on it.
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