Awakening Beyond Ego (Part 7 of 7): The Importance of Compassion and Empathy
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The Need for Compassion
Developing self-awareness, recognizing the ego, and ultimately transcending it can be a really difficult process for most of us.
It’s perhaps the hardest thing we might ever have to do, because it literally requires us to shed light on an important area of our life that has pretty much gone unnoticed.
Often during this process, we might shed some light on the ego and its patterns, but then ultimately fall back into its darkness.
However, the important thing is to never give up and to ultimately be patient with yourself.
View every challenge as an opportunity for learning and transformation.
Don’t just wish for your pain or suffering to go away.
Observe it, learn from it, and ultimately discover why you have let it develop such a strong hold over you.
Yes, the ego is a very deceptive and ruthless construct that feeds off of our pain and insecurities, but there is also a way out of this suffering.
And while we’re in the process of finding that way, we must be compassionate toward ourselves.
This compassion cannot be overstated, which is why I wanted to end the series with this important topic.
Pushing Through the Setbacks
Throughout these seven posts, we have learned a lot about the ego and how we can liberate ourselves from it.
But all of these teachings mean very little if we’re not equipped with the tools, inspiration, and insight to keep going forward when things get tough.
And believe me, things will get very tough, very fast.
For even though you might walk away from this series feeling like you have everything you need to transcend the ego, there will come a time in the not-too-distant future when you might find yourself back to square one again.
A setback will occur, a roadblock will appear.
Anything and everything might feel like it is up against you.
You might even find yourself back in the ego’s grip, unaware of why you’re feeling so down, hopeless, or unsure.
But remember, these setbacks happen to all of us, and they are nothing to be sad or ashamed about.
Be compassionate toward yourself when you experience them, and know that the ego can never stop your spiritual journey.
It can only delay it.
For there is nothing in the ego’s arsenal that can stop us from truly awakening.
Awakening is our birthright and the natural progression of our life if we just happen to get out of the way.
If we just happen to get out of our mind.
So, let go of the need for perfection and embrace the process of self-discovery with an open heart and mind.
And, of course, remember that this compassion applies not only to you, but also to every single being you come into contact with.
We Are All Connected and One
Your awakening is no different from someone else’s.
In fact, it’s all related. We are all related.
At some point, you’ll realize this for yourself, if you have not already.
As you develop awareness of the ego within you, you will begin to become aware of the ego within others.
These could be your family, friends, coworkers, or even strangers that you come across on a daily basis.
For example, if you’re waiting at a coffee shop and you notice the person in front of you verbally attacking the cashier because their drink wasn’t hot enough, observe what’s really going on.
Do you think it’s their ego making them talk like that or their true self?
Chances are that it’s their ego.
The ego is telling them that the cashier offended them and attacked who they were as a person.
And thus, they become defensive, which we discussed in Part 4.
You might even pick up some clues of their egoic tendencies by what they’re saying, which could go something like this:
“How dare the cashier talk to me like that?
How dare they serve me a cold drink?
Do they even know who I am?”
These are the things the ego might be telling them in that very moment — and too often, many of us unconsciously believe and act upon these thoughts and feelings.
Now, it would be very easy to judge or criticize someone under the control of the ego — or worse, comparing your spiritual progress to theirs.
However, this judgment or comparison is just another way the ego is trying to manipulate you.
It wants you to be separate and isolated from others, which is why compassion and empathy are essential when navigating the ego-driven behavior around us.
That doesn’t mean you have to accept or submit to their egoic tendencies.
It just means that you are aware of them, and recognize that their challenges are unique to them, just like your challenges are unique to you.
It’s like Christ saying on the Cross, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
Christ knew that the people responsible for his crucifixion were under the control of the ego.
They had not developed the same awareness he did to realize they were pure consciousness.
And so, Christ extended compassion to them.
He didn’t hold a grudge, harbor resentment, or fight back.
He simply looked past their ego to see their true selves.
He saw their true selves, even when they sadly couldn’t see it themselves.
This is real compassion.
This is true love.
So, the moral of the story is to extend your compassion and empathy to everyone around you, and appreciate the challenges they are currently going through.
Perhaps they might be inspired by your transformation and awakening.
Or, as in the case of Christ, they might be so deep under the ego’s spell that they can’t even see the profound change in you at this current moment.
But whether they are able to change right now or not is not the point.
It is our responsibility to still show compassion.
By being compassionate toward others, we remain connected to our own growth and journey, while also seeing and appreciating the shared struggles in humanity.
In fact, when we see everyone going through the same struggles and journey as we are, we no longer see ourselves as separate from humanity, but rather as a part of humanity.
We break free from the ego’s illusion of separation, and find ourselves united as part of a larger whole.
Because no matter how much we think differently, we are all connected in a deep and beautiful way that the ego has made us forget.
So, see if you can slowly start to remember this oneness again, and don’t be discouraged if the progress isn’t always smooth or consistent.
Remember that transcending the ego is not a linear process.
It requires significant time, effort, and awareness.
But with enough compassion and empathy, we can escape the ego’s traps and cultivate a deeper understanding of not only ourselves but all of humanity as well.
You Are Not the Ego
We are all interconnected in this journey called awakening.
We are all part of the Universal Consciousness that exists everywhere.
And if you take just one thing from this series, let it be the reminder that you are not the ego.
You never were.
Like everyone else, you might have temporarily gone blind behind its veil of darkness, but you have never lost your essence. You have never lost your light.
A light that has no story, no time, no ego.
So, if you haven’t done so already, now is the time to embrace this journey, let compassion guide you, and illuminate every corner of your life with the radiant light of your true self.
Awakening beyond the ego might seem like a difficult, if not impossible, journey at first, but once you start walking on the path, everything becomes unveiled before you.
You will no longer rely on the ego to be your guide, because you will have the best of guides: your true self. Your soul. Or put simply, God.
