Estimated reading time: 4 min.

 

Dear reader,

 

Welcome back to Guiding Words.

 

In the previous lesson, we talked about the ego’s relentless search for meaning and argued that the ultimate answer to why is to realize that we don’t need a why to be worthy; we are worthy because we are.

 

In this lesson, we will continue our exploration of the ego and reflect on the merit of letting go of any feeling of self-importance.

 

Merriam-Webster’s unabridged dictionary defines self-importance as

 

: an exaggerated estimate of one's own importance


It’s relevant to point out the presence of the word exaggerated, which suggests that the self has some importance to begin with—a premise that implies that one occupies a position of value relative to other objects of value.

 

However, the catch22 lies in the fact that as one begins to perceive the world in terms of value, one also begins to judge oneself as either valuable or valueless, thus creating an opening for suffering.

 

What, then, was the initial trigger that led to the feeling of self-importance?

Some insights can be found in these Words of Art:

The ego, becoming self-aware, instinctively weighed itself and found itself to be of significant value.
 That intuitive decision was an act of self-preservation—because if it did not find itself important, why would it care about itself?
 But in doing so, pain and suffering were born.

The gift was corrupted. Self-worth became the question to which self-importance became the answer.

The impulse that woke the Self to awareness was not, however, to turn the lens of awareness onto itself but rather, using the ego as a vantage point, to experience—through awareness—the meeting of the worlds inside and outside the Self.

One might ask: What is wrong with feeling important? What harm is there in valuing oneself?

 

Let us find some answers in these Words of Art:

An (often unconscious) feeling of self-importance—or lack thereof—is at the root of many negative emotions such as fear, doubt, envy, anger, and victim mentality. For:

 

It is our feeling of self-importance that holds us back and keeps us stuck.

The more we believe in our own importance, the more we have to lose in the face of action, and the more we struggle when faced with the necessity of acceptance.

 

Conversely, the less self-importance we carry, the less approval we need before taking action, and the less susceptible we are to developing a victim mentality.

 

Moreover


By letting go of every feeling of self-importance, we are letting go of that within us which believes it is important.

By letting go of that which believes it is important, we are letting go of that which could be hurt.

And by letting go of that which could be hurt, we are letting go of suffering and embracing serenity.

 

More often than not, it is feelings of self-importance that restrict our options and movement. The limits of our world expand as we let go of our attachment to our own significance. The purpose of self-awareness was not to value the self but to experience the world through the self. The less we give ourselves importance, the more we free ourselves to experience.

 

This concludes our lesson on the importance of letting go of self-importance. In the next lesson, we will discuss the conscious mind’s first and fundamental mistake.

 

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

 

Didi

 

Question: After reading this lesson, can you think of situations where your sense of self-importance has held you back from doing something you wanted to do?

 

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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