How ego blocks self-improvement and humility aids self-improvement

How ego blocks self-improvement and humility aids self-improvement – Humility can be an extremely empowering virtue, especially for self-improvement. This might seem counterintuitive because people often think of humility as an attribute that leads to self-deprecation, making them appear powerless or insignificant. Such a view of humility is a profound misunderstanding.Bhagavad gita

The essence of humility is not in how others treat us or how we let them treat us, but in how much we concern ourselves with what others think of us. When we stop worrying excessively about maintaining an impressive image at all costs—which is what ego drives us to do—we become free to shift our focus and energy from protecting our image to tending to our character.

Ego enables and even requires us to prioritize appearances over substance, sometimes preserving appearances at the cost of genuine substance. This is why the Bhagavad Gita (16.4) lists ego as a demoniac attribute. By highlighting three variants of ego as demoniac traits, the Gita emphasizes that ego is not merely a characteristic of a demonic nature but is also a precursor that paves the way for the pathological growth of other demonic qualities.

If we hold a wrong conception or are habituated to incorrect behavior, even when we acknowledge internally that we are wrong, ego compels us to prioritize preserving our image by concealing our errors. The longer we hold on to a wrong belief or behavior, the more it becomes associated with our image, making us increasingly resistant to correction, especially if it requires admitting our mistakes to others.

When we are controlled by ego, we risk degenerating from being wrong for a long time to being wrong forever. Fortunately, cultivating humility allows us to stop worrying excessively about how our image might be harmed by admitting we were wrong. It helps us become more concerned with how our character can be strengthened through growth toward a more accurate understanding.

Improving in substance through humility enables us to develop godly characteristics, bringing us closer to God, who is the source and sustainer of all goodness and happiness.

Summary:

• Just because we have been wrong for so long about something doesn’t mean we have to stay wrong.
• Ego traps our energy and emotions in preserving our image, making us believe that our image will be harmed by admitting we were wrong, thereby sentencing us to continue being wrong.
• In contrast, humility frees us from excessive concern about our image, enabling us to focus on improving our character by acknowledging our mistakes and advancing toward a more correct understanding.

Think it over:

• How is ego strongly related to the demonic nature as indicated in Bhagavad Gita 16.4?
• How does ego harm our character?
• How does humility empower us in self-improvement?

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16.04 Pride, arrogance, conceit, anger, harshness and ignorance – these qualities belong to those of demoniac nature, O son of Pṛthā.