English 126 Critical Thinking
Eckhart Tolle in Chapter 2 does a deep analysis of what “Ego” is, how it relates to our possessions, to our spiritual life, to who we are and how we live our life. Throughout the chapter, he explains how the Ego develops since early ages through the word “I” and the possessions that we begin to relate to ourselves as “mine” (20).
We develop our Ego through our possessions, and we confuse that with who we are, with our identity. It is not until we recognize who we are not that we can see who we are. A great example he gave was about a lady who lost a ring that had great value for her. When she realized that she was still the same person, and she was not diminished by the loss of the ring, she was at peace.
Our being is not diminished or empowered by the things we possess, but the amount of times we use the word “I” or “mine”. While we cannot get rid of certain attachments, it is good to identify the difference from those necessities and those material things or attitudes towards things that make us feel we are more because we have them.
In our consumer society we try to find ourselves, to discover who we were and affirm our self through owning, buying, possessing. The desire for more only makes us ill (25). In our society, it seems like the Ego tries to match up the Being: if I have, then I am. It works by comparison (30). The being does not increase or decreases by the amount we have, however it is true that we would be happier and much at peace by being aware of it and already by doing that we are transcending the ego.
He explains how this can be done by being aware of our inner body (34). Being able to close our eyes, and look at our lives, our attitudes towards things and others. This exercise can help us find objectivity, find peace. The realization of our being, and that this one is more important than a sense of ownership and possession that our Ego wants. We must deepen in ourselves and other people and go beyond the external qualities our senses perceive.
The awareness of the inner body relates to insight Albert Einstein left us about people being part of the whole, of the whole universe, and that if we concentrate on our own feelings and thoughts these become a sort of prison or illusion as we only limit to live according to these desires and feelings. We are more than that. We are part of the whole. This is what Tolle tries to explain. We need to free ourselves and embrace those around us, the whole creation. We must be compassionate.
I liked the beginning of the chapter of Tolle. He explained how the chair Van Gogh painted was an old chair (19) but he looked at it; he looked at it and saw something more than a simple old chair. His paint reflected what cannot be seen by a simple look. His painting was worth millions after. We are worth more than an old chair. We need to be able to see through the external attributes. We need to look through and seen the value of each human being. We need to be able to see the Being of each of us and realize that those things we want to have, or buy, or our strengths, or traits, such as that old chair, do not add value to us. It is our own being that is of value. That is why the example of the old chair was my favorite of the whole chapter.
Cited Work
Einstein, Albert. A Human Being is A Part of A Whole
Tolle, Eckhart. A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose
