Selfish vs selfless thinking

Life can be seen under many different thinking lenses.

One approach to life is to continuously challenge what is happening, to resist change, resist the moment and hope that a better moment will come in the future.

Another approach is to be at peace with the present, in peace with the moment and be grounded in the here and now.

In the former case, we see our egos as the sole drivers of our lives, responsible for the merits and downfalls of life.

In the latter case, we regard life as simply being.

What is the difference between these two opposite life views?

Through the lens of the ego, life is very rigid and fear of failure is always around the corner.

Through the lens of being, life flows. There is no concept of failure, no risk of losing anything.

Our ego is a mental construct. The vast majority of humanity has adopted the ego as a way of relating to the self, to existence. And we know what the ego is capable of accomplishing as soon as we walk out on the street. I need not spend too long on this part.

What does the absence of an ego or a reduced presence of an ego entail? If a person learns to quiet the ego, they start experiencing life differently. They become more driven by altruism, humility and respect. A quieter ego lends itself naturally to increased patience, more capacity to love, more creativity and joy.

Why, then, is the ego the predominant way of thinking in Western societies?

I have no clear answers to this question and can only hypothesize.

The ego way of thinking seems to be easier to learn and is thus the preferred way of operation for humans.

The egoless way of thinking is a refinement, it takes a long time to learn and commitment to learning a new skill is required.

Given the many merits which can be derived from a reduced ego, could now be the time to start learning this new valuable skill?

Much gratitude for reading,

Peter