Awareness of the ego

Awareness is a big step on the road to peace. Once you are aware of your actions and reactions, you should try to view your actions as an outside observer. You will notice there is a part of you that behaves without your conscious knowledge. This part of you is the ego. The ego is unconscious behavior. For example, think about how you feel when someone insults you, a loved one, or your favorite possession. The insult does not cause any physical harm, however you immediately, without thought, react to the perceived insult. You are ready to cause mental and physical harm because of the insult. The ego uses these unconscious actions or reactions to strengthen itself. The ego likes negative emotions more than positive ones. Negative emotions are easier to invoke. For example, if you play a sport and you play 10 games. If you win the first game, you feel great and the ego wants this feeling to continue. So you play three more games and if you lose all three, the ego will start down the negative path. If you lose two more games, the ego is thriving off of your negative view of yourself. You start calling yourself a failure and a loser. By the tenth game you are angry at everyone and everything involved. You lash out, you become hostile. At this point the ego is in full control. Once you are able to see the ego in action, you will see the road it takes you down and that road leads to temporary happiness and more often than not, no happiness at all. The road to peace means the death of the ego. To bring death to the ego, you should start observing it, do not fight it or give it energy. Let it pass and start accepting peace.

Here is a saying that helps: When something bothers you, let it pass like gas. It may stink but you will live through it.