Skin Deeper

I was on a favorite website of mine this morning and ran across this quote from a great singer of our times, Adele. A lot of times, both the fairer sex and us men are judged on appearances. Even just yesterday, while my better half and I while walking the streets in Philadelphia, we were on a quest to find a perfect butt on a girl...to no avail. There was no doing doing doing to be had.

Yes, I am guilty of judging those on how they look. This is not the pot calling the kettle black. When it comes down to it, our society today is full of critics. What is the old addage? "Those who can not do, teach." Well, these days, it seems it's become "Those who can not do, criticize."

Here's my thoughts on the matter...we're all imperfect. We all put others down to boost our own egos. We're all guilty of this. Yes, you too. Even just pointing this out is judgmental to a degree. There is constant focus placed on ego and how it has affected mankind. From the bully in your high school who was displacing negative emotion by beating the piss out of you for your lunch money to international struggles over which God to worship, costing millions of lives through the centuries.

This makes me think of another misquoted addage which is a verse in the Bible. "Money is the root of all evil." WRONG! Money is necessary in the society in which we live. If we threw money away and said "Yay! Evil will be gone soon!", mass pandemonium would break out. Now...let's see what the actual verse says. "The love of money is the root of all evil." - 1TIM 6:10 (In every translation and language).

Ego, when misdirected or unleashed, has historically been responsible for many horrible things. But it has also been used for good. Just like anything else in our lives, balance and proper placement of our ego is what is needed. Without ego, we would be quite boring. Individuality would become null. Innovation would not exist. What reason would we have to be proud, therefore boosting our self-esteem in a positive way, without ego? Yet, he who says he is humble, truly is not.

Won't finding happiness and inner peace show your true beauty instead of relying on public opinion and media expectations? Why not focus on just what makes you happy? Why not feel the positive effects of what your ego is supposed to do for you? When you're on your deathbed, will what other people thought throughout the years matter? Why not try to find a balance in your life? The decision to do these things may be the easy part. The little three letter word that baffles all of us is "HOW".

And right now, even thinking "Who does this Thunderstick guy think he is telling me about ego?" is your ego. But, you're right. Who am I to be waxing philosophical about things that are yet to be understood after generations of thought on the matter. So, here are some influential figures' thoughts on the topic. I don't agree with all of these, but who am I to judge.

“Whenever I climb I am followed by a dog called 'Ego'.” - Frederich Neitzsche

“Give up all bad qualities in you, banish the ego and develop the spirit of surrender. You will then experience Bliss.” - Sri Sathya Sai Baba (Indian Spiritual Leader)

“If you want to reach a state of bliss, then go beyond your ego and the internal dialogue. Make a decision to relinquish the need to control, the need to be approved, and the need to judge. Those are the three things the ego is doing all the time. It's very important to be aware of them every time they come up.” - Deepak Chopra

"I got a big ego, such a huge ego. But he love my big ego, It's too much. I walk like this 'cause I can back it up." - Beyonce Knowles (song lyrics - Ego)

“Where ID was, there shall ego be.” - Sigmund Freud

“Let's face it; God has a big ego problem. Why do we always have to worship him?” - Bill Maher

"The word enlightenment conjures up the idea of some superhuman accomplishment, and the ego likes to keep it that way, but it is simply your natural state of felt oneness with Being." - Eckhart Tolle

Thunderstick out.