The Gratification of Ego
Human beings have suffered tremendously in the whole history just because of one thing, and it’s their egos. And the most frustrating thing is that there is no physical existence of ego. Science hasn’t been able to prove it, but we cannot deny its existence and its implications on our lives. It’s there somewhere in our minds, and has been haunting us forever.
Mind creates ego and we create mind. Mind is already a big problem according to the mystics and enlightened souls; and in addition if one has an egoistic mind then the matter is more serious. If mind alone causes so much trouble then the mind filled with ego can cause havoc in one’s life. And instead of kicking ego out of our minds, we offer a comfortable and cozy space for our egos to grow and flourish.
One of the psychologies for our constant complaining is that we all achieve a great satisfaction while doing so. It gives us immense pleasure. And, it’s quite easy to complain. For example, I was not able to finish off my assignment today because Mr. Y showed up late in the office. I couldn’t pass my test because I didn’t have any time to study. There are always excuses and we are always complaining about things. A poor man complains of not having enough money, and a rich man complains of not having more money. A bachelor complains wishing he was married and the married man complains wishing that he was dead. Nobody is ever content with their life.
It’s has become human nature to complain about anything whatsoever. It seems that we all like to complain. Everybody is ahead in this mad race of complaining. Why – because it fulfills their ego and it veers them away from their responsibilities. That’s right, we are scared of our own responsibilities and we always find some easy way to complain about our inabilities. This only proves our laziness, incompetent mind, and stupidity. Yes, everybody is looking for free lunch and do not want to work for it. And, if they can’t achieve then they start complaining about others, the government, God, society, pretty much everything.
Haven’t we all read that story of a fox who tries all it can to get the grapes, and in the end, he gives up saying that grapes are sour. The fox could have just walked away simply appreciating its constant efforts, but no, it has to complain.
Likewise, we do the same thing as the fox. If we cannot achieve certain things that we have always wanted then we start complaining and criticizing others. Instead of dissecting the reasons behind our failures, we easily get off the hook, by simply blaming others. Why can’t we simply accept things the way they are and move forward in life? Why cannot we accept life in its totality? Please read How to Live Life in its Totality? as it encompasses this topic in detail.
Like I said earlier, it’s easy to complain and criticize as it solves all our problems, in a quick and easy way. It does but temporarily; in fact, we are simply deceiving ourselves by doing so. We are simply consoling and making us feel better about ourselves.
And once we are done with complaining, we start criticizing as it provides us with a feeling of utmost satisfaction. Our whole being pervades with a tinge of happiness when we do so. It makes us feel good about ourselves. It places us in a superior position than the others. People shower us with the words of praise and appreciation because we can criticize things so well. And, we enjoy such attention. This is how our egos are being strengthened more and more. And, we love being the center of attraction. We love when people are attentive to us and when they listen to us. Even though we know that most of the time the criticism is stemming from our jealous mind.
And we have already mastered the skills of criticizing as well. Sometimes we hurl negative criticisms and sometimes we simply fake it by offering positive criticisms, because rarely we find someone who criticizes out of love and compassion.
In this fast paced world, when everyone is trying to thrive in cut throat competition and where dog eat dog mentality reigns among people, who is seriously interested in offering honest criticism? Who has time to praise you for your hard work and efforts? Who wants to help you grow and be successful? And, everybody is scared and jealous – if everybody starts becoming successful then what would happen to them? So people are just worried about themselves and all they care about is the fulfillment of their own egos, and that’s it. Because, it’s easy to criticize on about anything… For instance, one might say, “God has made us so beautiful.” Immediately, you can come back with something, and say, “What’s so beautiful? Look, we are all suffering. And, where is God in the first hand? Can you prove it to me?” Somebody might start talking about love and beauty. Then you can again criticize, by saying, “What are you talking about? What is love? Where is beauty? Can you bring beauty to me? Can you show what love is?”
And some might say that, “God exists in everybody’s heart.” Again, you can argue back by saying, “Can you prove it to me? No surgeon has ever seen God inside anybody’s heart ever.” See, how easy it is to criticize and complain. You can be negative about everything that exists in the existence. You can have a negative outlook on almost anything. For this, you don’t need to be smart or intelligent. Anybody can do it. But, again this kind of approach is not going to fulfill the ultimate goal or purpose of your life. This kind of attitude will never quench the thirst of your inner being. This bragging, this senseless arguments and criticisms about everything will eventually crimp the significant growth inside you. One day, you will come to an understanding that in a pretentious game of gratifying your ego, you have auctioned the inner beauty of your soul. So Be Aware, next time when you are offering criticism to others. Is the criticism coming from your heart or it’s simply nurturing your own ego. Meditate upon it and then only criticize others.
sori to say...it may vulgar to u...even a sperm had to travel far to reach its mate....if it start to complaining...v wnt be able to get our next generation..
