THE PRIMITIVE EGO CALLED SPIRITUAL GROWTH
A paradigm of negation and vertical power are the signs of primitive ego of early childhood. This is otherwise called as the survival of the fittest. To achieve spiritual growth, humanity is required to adopt a meme or a paradigm of horizontal power. The root of virtually all conflict and suffering is the vertical power paradigm of the primitive ego. What is dependent on the maturation of the primitive ego are spiritual growth, the human species evolution and the formation of a non-violent community globally.
Spiritual growth is a work that begins at birth, and ends as we reach our time of death or enlightenment. In short, it is a continuous process wherein we go through a journey of ever-increasing self-awareness and self-consciousness. At birth, we struggle to conceive our ego and define our self-autonomy, self-identity and self-esteem. Our reactive, primitive ego is developed by the age of eight years old. Our self-esteem solidifies if we get the necessary emotional support from our primary caregivers namely our parents such as unconditional love, attention, empathy and affirmation. Because of this solidification, we will be well-prepared to continue our growth and maturation. This is an optimal stage of our human development.
If caregivers, however, deprived us with emotional resources that are necessary for our maximum growth, it will be very difficult on our part to avoid the prison of the reactive primitive ego. We will find ourselves confounded with one foot entangled in the mud of childhood. Unless the wounds of our primitive ego are healed, our spiritual journey towards a non-reactive, mature, adult, contemplating ego will be virtually close to impossible.
Instead of manifesting our true self, our primitive ego will manifest a false self. This will allow us to show the world a self that we think is what it wants to see. It will be considered dangerous if we show any vulnerability or intimacy to the public. If this happens, our self outlook will become negative and weak. Until such time that we realize that finding ourselves does not require us to search for it externally, rather it is a continuous internal process to which we need to devote our whole lives on. For this search of eliminating pain for happiness, the common places that we usually look for it are money, fame, possessions or material and worldly things; and most of all, success. Because of this, the primitive ego will spend most of its life on the wrong path.
Instead of focusing on our own shortcomings, we will be more concerned about what goes on in our neighbour’s lives, trying so hard to remove the speck from their eyes when we cannot even find a remedy for our own mistakes. We will tend to criticize and judge others more just to feel superior over them in an attempt to maintain or increase our own self-esteem. We will tend to blame others for our emotions, oftentimes leading to conflict among the people around us and who are close to us. This will leave us feeling powerless, empty, angry and victimized.
So it is therefore necessary to assess our own emotions, view life in a positive way, avoid any forms of judgment towards anybody especially on our selves, in order for us to mature in a manner that we want, instead of being what we think others wants us to be.