Estimated reading time: 5 min.

Dear reader, 

Welcome back to Guiding Words.

In the previous lesson, we covered the subject of courage as the antidote to the fear of the unknown that is death. We argued that, in the face of the unknown, we can only rely on the confidence we have in our ability to prevail—a self-confidence built through a lifetime of big and small, personal and public acts of courage.

In this lesson, we will close the arc on the question of death by addressing one more common feeling that many people experience as they approach the end: the acute realization that 'I' will end. The ego, confronted with its own extinction.

Earlier in the introduction, we briefly touched on the nature of the ego and the distinction between the ego and the Self. Let us now delve deeper into that relationship and, through it, understand why the end of the ego need not be feared.

Words of Art: On the Self and the Ego

Everything is out there, but we cannot reach for everything at once—just as a traveler cannot walk two roads at the same time.
We reach for one thing, then another, and so on.
But what is the “force” that drives us to reach for something?
That force is the natural instinct of life, already present in the newborn crawling to its mother’s breast.
But why does “I” reach for this thing instead of that one?
Because we reach for what we believe will make our puzzle complete, though we each have different missing pieces.
And as we reach for one thing after another, each piece becomes a brick in the construct of the ego.

The Self—that which is building—is shapeless, standing in an infinite field, reaching for and placing one brick at a time to construct the ego. When the reaching stops, the building stops.
But do not confuse the builder with the building.
The purpose of the act of building is the joy that comes from discovering with each brick the story of the building.
It is the process—the journey—that matters.
Don’t rush. Be an active observer. Let your Self be filled with the beauty of the design.

And when the Self has experienced enough, it will open a door that was always there and step out of the building, back into the infinite field.

Perhaps, somewhere else on that field, it might just start, once again, building something new.
Surrender to the movement…

To better illustrate the transient nature of the ego, consider watching this 15 second YouTube short in which Rowan Atkinson, the actor, reflects on the character that made him famous, Mr. Bean. 

Transcript:

“I probably enjoyed playing Mr. Bean the most because he’s a character who’s furthest away from my own character. As a person, I don’t like him at all, I think he’s very odd and pretty weird and not very nice.”

Notice how Atkinson uses the word “character” twice: once to refer to Mr. Bean and once to refer to himself, implying that many characters can be expressed by the same person.

Just as an actor does not confuse themselves with their roles, why do we confuse the Self with the ego?
Recognize that you just happen to be you—
That the circumstances that shaped you are merely a temporary exploration of the specific combination you identify as “me.”

Like an actor who plays many roles, the Self experiences countless combinations. One of those combinations just happens to be the one you currently call “me.”
And it is only when this is fully embraced that there is no longer a need to fear the end of the ego because:

When the dice rolls again, what will land this time?
A chair, a supernova, something beyond human language?
Will it be better, worse, or perhaps beyond the realm of comparison?

There are no limits to what the next adventure could be.
But we will never know until we close the curtain on this one.

By cultivating a genuine spirit of curiosity toward the infinite possibilities yet to be explored, the ego can finally Rest in Peace, for:

I will end to give way to else.

This concludes our series of lessons on the subject of death. The nature of death itself and humanity's desire for immortality are subjects we will explore further in these Guiding Words. For now, we will shift direction a bit and explore the reason behind the ego’s relentless search for meaning.

See you in three days and until then, may Serenity be upon you.

Didi

Question: After reading this lesson, do you feel a little more at peace with the idea of the end of the ego?

Reply with a yes or no and feel free to go beyond two or three characters.

P.S.: I am trying to find the right words to convey my thoughts in a language that is not mine, so please pardon my mistakes and feel free to reply with any suggestions and/or corrections that can make this reading experience more enjoyable.

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