The ego is: The Grinch that Stole Christmas

“Peace on Earth, good will toward men . . .” so says Luke 2:14. And this is that season, isn’t it? Of course, as we look around the earth we see very little of either. Why is that? Why is it so hard to find peace and good will? Oh to be sure, there are many who feign peace and goodwill. They appear to be the “good” people, but too often it is an act; an ego defense. So good and evil are really two sides of the same coin- some sort of compensation for personal, societal, or national pain.
So where did human kind go wrong? How did the wheels come off the world’s bus in such a profound way?

Believe it or not, it all starts around 3 to 5 years of age in each individual. As we learn language we develop two distinct styles of communication. One style is designed to communicate with other people. But the real problem lies in a type of speech called “ego-centric” speech. What is ego-centric speech? It is a running commentary that children of around two years of age have that describes what they are doing and why they are doing it. At this age, the child is acting on impulses from the limbic system and nonverbal emotional messages from the limbic and right hemispheric formations. The child assumes there must be some logical explanation as to why they are following these impulses. So they use their newly discovered talent for language to explain why they are doing what they are doing. In other words, ego-centric communication is an elaborate form of rationalization for the ongoing behavior that is being dictated by more primitive and nonverbal parts of the brain.

Well, things get pretty scary at around 3 to 5 years of age. This ego-centric communication becomes internalized. This overt thinking gradually becomes internalized eventually becoming completely hidden to everyone but the commentator, a five year old child. At this point the child is not only speaking in words, but is thinking in words. This ego-centered speech becomes more and more complex and more and more addictive to the point where as adults we cannot shut off the constant commentary.

What’s at issue here is not that we talk to ourselves, but the quality of the communication. The impetus for this internalized view of the world is impulsive, emotional, and self serving. The quality of this does not change with age. The internal commentator is concerned with one and only one thing – self enhancement!
This is bad enough, but then something even more sinister happens. Because this internal commentator is so ubiquitous and continuous, we make a fatal assumption. We believe that this internal voice is me! By identifying with this voice and giving it credence we become what only can be described as “lost souls.” We are forever in the grip of the emotional distortions of a five year old who is concerned only with him or herself.

This internalized ego-centric speech becomes what many writers and teachers call the “ego-mind,” the “false self,” the “thinker.” It’s proud, it’s arrogant, it’s ignorant, and most everything it says is bullshit. It is easy to see why there is no peace on earth or goodwill toward men.

Witness Thought Transformation™ will set the world free from the voice in the head that is masquerading as “me.” It is simple, it is fast, and it is a revolution. To hear some testimonials about it, go to my home page and set yourself free from ego-centric speech.