The Ego and Society

 The ego really won't bring us fulfillment. I don't think I really understood this until recently. The ego keeps us in a state of unease and agitation, it keeps us from fulfillment which is the wholeness that can only by gained by turning to God and through self-realization where self dissolves into Self, Self realizes Self. I think when we are immersed in the ego, we believe it is fulfillment, that it is enough. We are immersed enough that we do not see that this is confusing the ego with that which it is not. The ego is that which substitutes the object of it's fixation for that which is fulfillment, that which does not have a fixed or definite structure, which is simply Reality. The appetite of the ego blinds us to the confusion that is this substitute, it deceives us, and we willingly follow it and allow ourselves to be deceived. I think correcting this belief through insight is the key to liberation from the dream which the ego creates. When we have clear evidence to the contrary we will naturally turn away from it. One sees that the pain it creates outweighs any temporary pleasure it may offer and it becomes something that we truly do not wish to perpetuate. Instead of devoting our resources to feeding our thirst and obtaining the fruits of our desires, we turn our energies to seek methods for liberation from this insidious coil of enslavement. We find solace in that which brings us relief from what becomes the constant nagging of egoic thirst. Inability to properly concentrate, inability to do what serves us best, and finally inability to treat other people decently. How much of what we are doing is in our own self-interest? Does this self-interest still serve our self? How much do we actually listen to what others have to say? Are we so full of ourselves that we do not here them? How much do we actually know the people in our lives? How much of how we see them is blinded by judgment? How satisfying are these perceptions? How fair are they? Do we respect others? Do we respect our selves? What do we really know about the world? How much of what we know is based upon our ability to manipulate it for selfish ends? It seems to me that cleverness is close to blindness, and true intelligence is rare. Clear penetrating intelligence is sharper than a sword. When this intelligence springs up in your heart you become noble. You become a servant of Goodness. All the better if you know that this Goodness comes from God and you do your deeds in His name. I think this decency transcends race, sex, party, belief, nationality. It comes from a basic goodness that belongs to everyone. There is no hate in it, it does not depend upon a fixed set of ideas. God is the ruler, not any church, or organization, or affiliation, or party, or quality, or notion. The established order of our time should not empower our ego, it should serve as an ambassador to God, to truth, to justice, and the liberty and wellbeing  of all human beings. What we believe and what we associate ourselves with should be uplifting and not create divisiveness and discord. When belief and associations do thus, they are corrupted and toxic to the health and wellbeing of ourselves and society. Civility means establishing such an honorable society, not continuing in antagonizing and brutish behavior. It means seeking society amongst one's peers. If this is gained then what needs to be done, will be done, because those present in establishing law and order will have the proper vision to conduct themselves appropriately. They will compromise when necessary for the common good because the common good is their highest priority. The common good means the common good. All people. Not us versus them. It is a decency that springs from recognized the shared humanity one has with others regardless of who they are. It springs from seeing the decency and nobility in all people indiscriminately. It is a living faith in society that lives because it comes straight from God. When our institutions and our practices become indecent, they try to protect themselves by clinging to what parcel of God they believe they have left. If they continue in this they become unfit for use. When they do not serve God, they perish. If it is so, then we must first seek inspiration from without, because what is gained within is corrupt and unfit for human beings. It is indecent and untrue. It does not serve the common good and instead holds up its corrupted product as an offering to ensnare and deceive the masses. What serves God does not seek to outshine Him. It does not seek to diminish the wellbeing of human beings, or to undermine the integrity of society. Promoting the wellbeing of society means promoting the wellbeing of all who inhabit it. What has hate is divorced from God. This living faith in society, in one's fellow human beings depends on one's independent devotion to God, in which God is above all else and it is known that God is the sole source of truth and inspiration. Religion, belief, association, organization, identification, these things all become secondary to a Higher will and and Higher truth. They do not obscure it because they are not equal to it. When we have this devotion for God. We will love one another and serve one another regardless of who we are because the decency of God's light will shine bright enough that we will find kinship with all human beings.