Germian: Difference between revisions

1. The term "ego death" refers in modern days to the release of our self-identification and self-esteem that stems from it, but it is also the release of our need to guard it from harm and our propensity to see the world through the lens of our imagined identities. People who define themselves, for instance, by their political inclinations, social standing, skill set, or overall perception of physical attractiveness, will engage with the world as members of these groups and defend these abstractions as they defend themselves. It is a falsehood to associate one's own self-entity with these things because they are external to us, they pass by and don't require our attachment. Our true selves are the perceptions of our senses, feelings, and thoughts, as well as our ability to judge, choose, and have willpower. The real you is the one who makes decisions and is persuaded of certain things. Everything else is not a part of who you are; it is something you can find practical or enjoyable while it is available. It is not a fundamental aspect of who you are.

We are entities with thoughts and opinions that we associate with ourselves, these are identities. Although identities may aid in conveying information, they are actually external to us, something the ancient stoics understood but have in modern days become a practiced norm as an attempt as creating something for yourself. Since these external perceptions of ourselves are distorting our experience as self-entities, we ought to cease creating self-images of ourselves from these identities. This is due to the fact that we are actually unable to think of our self-entities in a tangible way. Realize that you are unable to think of yourself as you eliminate outside notions and assumptions about who you believe yourself to be. The only thing that is endangered when you experience hurt or are triggered by prospective "harm" in social situations, is your false sense of who you think you are because you believe that who you're thinking of in your thoughts (your imagined self-images) is actually the real you. One ought to realize that your thoughts are only memories and imagination, they are not real, when you're thinking back to something you've experienced, you aren't actually experiencing it, it is just another sensory input for you (your self-entity) to interact with just like your other senses.