Mosquito at my ear —
does he think
I’m deaf?

This is how our ego respond.

For most people, ego becomes an issue only when someone has too much of it and is considered egotistical – and even then, a big ego is often equated with drive and success.
The situation is very different seen from the perspective of consciousness. The reason that Buddhists speak of “ego death” is that a different self is disguised by the demands of “I, me, and mine.”

The true self isn’t centered on the demands of ego but on higher values: love, truth, creativity, compassion. Because it is connected to the source of awareness, at a deeper level of the mind, the true self is at peace. It is buffeted by the ups and downs of life. Separation is at an end; therefore, no need exists for unspoken anxiety and insecurity. There is no hole to fill with the endless pursuit of pleasure and distraction. Life is devoted to expanding one’s consciousness and growing from the inside.

This message sounds strange to modern ears, I know, but the true self isn’t a relic of ages long past. It addresses universal issues. Which is the same as saying that the path to higher consciousness is always open, because the choice between ego and the true self is perennial – every generation confronts it anew. If there are two paths in life, a choice is implied. The promise of the true self depends upon these choices.