The Superego

So many people long for self-empowerment. They strive to rebel against external authority figures, parents, social norms, teachers, and experts. Believing it is composed of their own convictions, few realize the real culprit they long to be free of is their own superego. However, the superego beats them into submission on an ongoing basis, dictating not only major life decisions, but even things as miniscule as what side dish to have along with lunch.

The superego is a parental voice whispering in your ear. It imposes values, emotional states, and a belief system upon you. It is your inner authority figure scolding you through fear and guilt if you do not listen. Needless to say, your greatest battle is your own inner battle between what you genuinely know to be true and your superego. It torments you. It tears you apart. It does not allow you to live your life.

So many long to know their life’s work—their life’s purpose. What did you come here to do? What is your soul’s longing? The answer to this question lies in only one place, the heart of your being. It lies beneath layer after layer of superegoic impositions.

How do you go about freeing yourself of those impositions? Unfortunately, if you are like most people, you seek out physical representatives of your superegoic authorities. You consult with your parents, family, and friends with whom you have much in common, including similar superegoic backgrounds. How can you free yourself from such control by consulting with controlling elements—individuals that collude with your own limitations, calling out threats every time you make a move: “Be careful. Watch out! Don’t trust anyone. The world is dangerous. Nothing is safe. Listen to us because your own thoughts and feelings are only valid when they conform to our thoughts and feelings.”

No wonder so many people feel so uncertain and feel a lack fulfillment! Fulfillment comes from only one thing: a life lived in accord with your true nature. Being unable to distinguish the voice of your true nature from the voice of your superego is an unfulfilled life. It is a life of despair and torment.

How do you know which voice is speaking? How do you discern between rebelling for rebellion’s sake or living a life that is true to your Self? There is no simplistic test. Such discernment is a process for which I have provided many tools: exploration, reflection, self-honesty, 100% responsibility, feeling your way, first and second response, etc.

The journey is not an easy one. Yet, I encourage you to recommit to it here and now. Time is slipping through your fingers. Do not let fear freeze you, like a deer in the beam of headlights. Life is only lived by those who move. A life frozen with fear is hardly a life at all. The years go by quickly. So many come to their life’s end regretting what might have been. Do not let that happen to you. Live your life as the hero of your soul. Dare to face the wind and move forward in the direction of the sun, wherever it leads. Know that in so doing, Mother Nature will rise to support you.

© Michael Mamas, 9/08

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