Friday, April 16, 2010

EGO

EGO has been a word, which derived a negative connotation in the recent past and has been used to define a negative quality of humans. The problem is not with ego, but with the thin line that we cross, and unknowingly hurt others and in the long run hurt us. Self respect is not ego, neither is sticking to values is, but self pride is and so is being dogmatic to one self. Ego takes us to a level, where, we start feeling as if everything is being conspired us, even the beautiful nature seems to disturb us, let alone the imperfect human surrounding.

Not long back, I encountered a colleague, who seems to be at a high level of ego. She cannot bear any one, needs people, including the colleagues, to take appointment to meet her. In an organization of open door policy, she wants people to knock at door. People like her become a big source of negative energy, and they dissipate negative energy, just by confronting with people.

None of us is born with an ego. For the first nine months, we are totally dependent on our mothers, we had no ego and no tensions, for a very simple reason, we were too inane to understand things. Once out of the womb, for the next few years too, we are not bothered by any worldly tensions, but thereafter, when we start contemplating things, understanding things, we tend to develop a mentality, “Since we know it, we have a right on it”, and that’s the point, we are haunted.

This does not mean that we should stop contemplating things, but that; we should not feel any binding with them, since binding restricts our vision.

Now, having talked about the gloomy side of ego, let’s throw some light on the bright side. A few days back, I was thinking, why people say “Think Positive”,” “Talk Positive”. The reason, for me, is very simple, EGO.

When we think or talk positive, we not only do so, but also imbibe and understand it and subconsciously get attached to it. When someone else is going through a bad phase, we would radiate positive energy by talking positive energy. And this is a point, where a complex story unfolds. When we suggest something to someone, we suggest and above all re-iterate and take up the responsibility of being positive. The responsibility ignites our ego, and this ego starts the best of its works, when we are, under a testing time. We are under the pressure of our ego and have to think positive, this pressure unknowingly becomes out habit. Obviously, this habit distributes happiness.

7 comments:

  1. very interesting... Umang i think you should write more often. you are really good at it :)

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  2. I slightly disagree though!!!! I think that ego is only negative.The feeling of being pressurised to achieve something because your ego is at stake cannot be termed positive. Even if it is for achieving something positive... Ego may set you up for an unhealthy competition. The right motivation to achieve something positive is by focusing on self respect and not EGO ;)

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  3. Good one Umang..!! but for me EGO is only associated with negativity, I don't find it in doing something positive...

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  4. @ Amar & Anubha: Thanks for taking out your precious time, for reading the blog and posting your views. I do agree with your stand that ego is negative, but the word "only" takes an extreme stand. I have no clue, whether Amar actually ment that or not, but, though a cliché, every thing, like a coin has two sides, positive & negative. I am trying to explore the positive side.

    Amar's next point, pressure to do something, because of ego is negative, is correct, but to accept change, which is unwanted by us, we need to put pressure. Moreover, it's the pressure, that bind things, not only mechanically, but also at times emotionally.

    I'll be eagerly looking forward to your reply
    - Umang :)

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  5. I can see that you are putting a lot of time and effort into your blog.Good job in this article!!!!!!!
    AS far as I am concerned ego is self - love,self-conciousness and as a human being ,we all must have an ego.
    It can be either good or bad and it totally depend on us how we take it.If you have an ego, than you must control it
    and not let it control you.As someone has said"You must have enough ego to have self confidence and to get noticed, but not
    to the point where people roll their eyes when you enter a room. "....... vary nice article!!!....I would like to read more
    article like this .........:):)

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  6. Nice one Umang...but as always the word EGO is associated with a negative feeling and I'm not an exception! But I liked the point of mentioning the two different shades of EGO. I'll also try to look at the positive side of it. I think we can only do this when we love and care about others tha ourself.....alas a wonderful thought and it's refreshing who ever gone through this blog....!

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  7. According to Oxford Dictionary, ego means sense of self esteem or self importance. The meaning doesn't stir any negative feelings.To a lot of people including me, the word evokes negativity. We always hear or say things like 'his ego got hurt, Male ego or he/she is egoistic, all in a way to ridicule and put someone down. Rarely we hear or say phrases like 'work on your ego or have a strong ego'. Lets say that in your organization, Mr A and Mr B put forth a business idea in an Annual General Meeting, which is rejected or criticized by their colleagues. The incidence hurts the ego of both, Mr A and Mr B. Now, Mr A reacts in a healthy way by working hard and/or developing better innovative ideas which will be accepted by his colleagues in the next AGM (like Umang suggested) However Mr B takes it personally and revengefully tries to outshine others. So here is the point, most of the people would describe Mr A as confident and with positive self esteem for the way he reacted to the situation and Mr B as immature and egoistic for reacting inappropriately. What do you all think???

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