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You hit the nail on the head.
The people that talk about destroying their egos are so full of shit.

I find it so laughable when people go on about this! Most people I let just rant on because it's obvious they have no idea what they're talking about, but people close to me I try and inform. The world is so full of people who fail to research anything, lol.

The people I've heard say this are also quick to call themselves shamans... which they follow by posting a selfie to Instagram. lol

lol Yeah, those kind are the best. Have you seen the "Super Spiritual" series on YouTube?

Reminds me of how people talk about opening the third eye not realizing its visualization

Absolutely agree. There's a difference between ego and egotism. You need a strong, healthy, integrated ego, but that doesn't mean you're a self-centered dick. haha. I found you through the SteemMagick group on Discord. Glad to connect with a fellow esotericist on here! I've upvoted this post and also following you now. Looking forward to seeing more of your posts.

Awesome, that's cool the Discord led you here! I'm sure we'll catch one another in the channels some time. :)

Thanks for the comment, follow, and upvote!

I think the confusion lies in the fact that there are two different but related definitions of the term Ego.

Ego is used to describe ones feeling of self worth.

and it is also used as a term in Psychology to refer to the conscious mind.

It is an interesting byproduct of the english language that we are required to define our terms. Since we use so many of our words in different ways.

God, for instance, is a word that has a completely different meaning for almost everybody.

Love is another example of a word that can be used in at least 7 different ways.

You are correct in choosing egoism to specifically refer to the idea of an unhealthy belief in ones own importance.

The confusion is in the understanding of Ego, for even the second definition is a necessity to experience.

The sense of self worth is your conscious mind, and in the same token should one dissolve their sense of self worth then they would be left empty of self worth and therefore would be quite cold to the external experience. Sounds fairly nihilistic, really.

I absolutely understand that the English lexicon is extremely fluid, but what people are referring to with ego is egoism.


e·go·ism
ˈēɡōˌizəm
noun
another term for egotism.
PHILOSOPHY
an ethical theory that treats self-interest as the foundation of morality.
noun: egoism


e·go·tism
ˈēɡəˌtizəm
noun
noun: egotism
the practice of talking and thinking about oneself excessively because of an undue sense of self-importance.
"in his arrogance and egotism, he underestimated Jill"
synonyms: self-centeredness, egomania, egocentricity, self-interest, selfishness, self-seeking, self-serving, self-regard, self-love, narcissism, self-admiration, vanity, conceit, self-importance; boastfulness
"Darla's egotism will always thwart her chances for a lasting relationship"