[from the As Within, So Without Series Part 3]
INTRODUCTION
From all of us at The R-N-R Hour™, we welcome everyone to Part 3 in the “As Within, So Without” series! For today’s blog post, we are going to discuss the topic of How a Damaged Ego Creates a Damaged Perception. The goal of this blog post is first to explore the characteristics of a damaged ego. We will then use this knowledge to understand how a damaged ego directly impacts our perception. With that said, you all are probably asking, how does today’s topic relate to our 2021 New Year’s phrase “As Within, So Without”? Well, great question. If you keep reading, you will find your answer at the end of this blog post. Now, let us get started.
DISCUSSION
First and foremost, what is a damaged ego? Well, let us revisit our definition of the ego to help answer this question. In Blog post #11, we said that the ego is what we feel and think about ourselves, and it is influenced by our perception of ourselves and how we fit in the world. This perception is usually the result of social conditioning, which are repeated reinforcements from people, events, and your environment aimed at producing desired behavior within you. This differs from experiences. Experiences are merely coincidental occurrences. Therefore, we can safely conclude that a damaged ego consists of negative feelings and thoughts about oneself. You should also know that someone with a damaged ego generally lacks a sense of security within themselves, making them feel like an outcast in their outer world.
With that explanation of a damaged ego, let us now look at the second half of our topic, damaged perception. As we said earlier, perception is the result of social conditioning aimed at producing the desired behavior within you. In other words, perceptions are learned understandings of the world and how we fit into it. I also want to emphasize this point. Perceptions are not pure but are from repeated learned behaviors and knowledge. So, how does a damaged perception materialize from a damaged ego? It materializes from negative social conditioning, such as repeated trauma, humiliation, or neglect. It is the negative social conditioning that severely cripples the ego, thus negatively impacting our perception.
To make these explanations worth your time, I will say this. A damaged ego and damaged perception can make life feel terrible, and I know this because I was stuck in this dreadful mindset a few years back. However, after some time in meditation, study, and therapy, I came to the truth that the world has a lot of beauty and amazing opportunities. You just have to be open to the beauty in this world and be ready to experience it. I also want to add. A damaged ego and damaged perception prevent us from seeing and living this truth. Specifically, a damaged ego and damaged perception replace this truth with a fictitious narrative about us and the world around us. For those dealing with negativity, life's narrative is only seeing the bad and what is consistently wrong with our life.
CONCLUSION
You are probably thinking to yourself, “Okay, great. Now we know how a damaged ego creates a damaged perception. However, how does today’s topic relate to our 2021 New Year’s phrase “As Within, So Without”? Here it is, my friends. Negative social conditioning (damaged ego and damaged perception) within creates a negative social interaction (reality) without.
To use a real-life example, let's look at a high school bully. Bullies are known to incite fear and terror onto their peers. Because the high school bully was mistreated by his/her caregivers, those feelings of vulnerability, fear, or inadequacy are internalized (as within). The bully then projects those internal feelings onto others (so without). The bully is essentially creating an environment that reflects how he/she feels within, "As Within, So Without."
To not leave this message negatively, I will share how you can create and implement a healthy ego and clear perception in Blog #14. This blog post will focus on realizing your self-worth and truly seeing the beauty in this world. So, it will not be the next blog post which is #13.
MOVING FORWARD
• I want to present this opportunity before I close Blog post #12. If you would like to post your literary work in the realm of spirituality or philosophy on my website, please do not hesitate to email me. You can email me at thernrhour@gmail.com
• Our second quote for 2021 is, "possession of material riches, without inner peace, is like dying of thirst while standing in the middle of a lake." Let me know what you all think about this quote through email.
• Finally, I look forward to seeing you all on March 4th, 2021, for Blog #13: As the World Spins, Are You Spinning with It? [a Minor Reflection in the as Within, So Without Series].
Sincerely,
The R-N-R Hour™
© 2021