Why is the human condition one of
pain? Why not constant well being? You know those infrequent times when
everything seems right and you have a warm feeling inside and the people around
you are enjoying each other? Why can’t
life be like that all the time? Why is
there so much emotional pain? Why is there
resentment, hatred, arrogance, and drama? Why would anyone choose negativity over positivity?
Answer: the false self (ego). It creates stories about itself and
others. Because this self is false, the
stories it tells are false. The false
self is incapable of telling true stories, just as the true self is incapable
of telling false stories. The false self
claims that it is better than others and/or that others are bad and therefore deserve
criticism and punishment. Because the ego’s
falsity requires it to be constantly maintained, the negativity it generates
will be constant. This causes us pain,
but the pain that our false self would experience if it were to lose its
constant support would be even greater, so we keep up the ego’s
I’m-better-than-you attitude in order to avoid greater pain.
The falsity of the ego is easily seen when
we compare it to things that are true. For
example, if someone were to say that our skin was green, we would not experience pain because the color of one’s skin is an
undeniable fact. Being true, it is not
part of the ego because nothing true can be part of the false self. But if someone were to claim that everyone with
our particular skin color was inferior, then we might experience pain. Why? Because it contradicts the ego’s belief that it is superior. The idea that skin color is an indication of one’s abilities or
self-worth is false, and being false it can exist only as part of the ego (because only
the ego could possibly believe it). Since the ego’s belief in its own superiority is therefore false, it can
never be sure of this belief, so whenever anyone questions it, the ego feels pain because
its fragile feeling of being correct and superior is shattered. If we are wise enough to not have this erroneous ego belief, then there is nothing to shatter and therefore we will not experience pain.
Much of human activity is nothing more than desperate upkeep
of ego. People
constantly need to feel that they are more likeable, athletic, attractive, praiseworthy, wealthy, intelligent, correct, moral, or valuable
than others. Why? Because deep down they do not really believe it (and they will never admit that they have any self-doubt because they are frightened to be exposed as the frauds that they are). No matter how many times
they “prove” that they are “superior” or “correct”, they need to keep proving it by acting cordial, bragging, exhibiting athletic
prowess, wearing fashionable clothing, obtaining sexual partners, buying/flaunting expensive possessions/meals/trips, criticizing, or
getting into religious/political arguments. This constant “proof” is necessary because they are defending a false
belief, which causes their “proof” to disappear just after it appears, so they keep needing new “proof” each moment. Remember, anything true stands on its own and
needs no defense or advertising; anything false disappears as soon as it is no
longer maintained.
