But no one should suppose that this tinsel-bright, overpainted aspect is the sole manifestation of the false ego. The bearded beatnik with his long-haired chick, sandaled or barefooted, without a nickel in his ragged pants, may be manifesting his false ego in this eccentric guise just as surely as does the painted lady in the ritzy restaurant. There is no limit to the disguises the false ego can assume. It penetrates everything. An artist under its domination engages in a feverish game of oneupmanship, employing slick tricks to demonstrate his cleverness. A writer is deliberately obscure in the hope that readers may think him difficult and therefore profound. In the field of religion, the false ego leads to intolerance and self-satisfaction (the Lord, I thank thee that I am not as other men of the Gospel Pharisee). Even the research scientist, who, being concerned with objective reality, might be thought to be free of this plague, is often completely dominated by his false ego, expending vast stores of emotional energy on puerile arguments concerning priority of publication, on proving that some rival was wrong and that he was right, or chasing that supreme will o the wisp, the Nobel award, arch status symbol and a stumbling block for many. -The Master Game
Posted on: Tue, 23 Sep 2014 01:04:15 +0000