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Ego Death

krisnova.net

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Re: Ego Death

#111

Post by russelldjimmy »

alganet wrote: post #58
russelldjimmy wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is at least a beginning. When someone is learning something new, they will naturally take some time to be good at it. They are merely expressing their awareness that the ego is something that is the root of their suffering. For now, they are comfortable expressing it from the ego’s point of view… because it’s familiar! We’ve all been there at some point, and most of us don’t even move on from it. It seems to me th…

The whole text reads to me as a huge ego trip. Look at these quotes: > You can’t tweet your way to self-respect. > How can anyone farming a void on emptiness internally enact change? > I see millions of empty users crying out for more validation The author is web buddha and just achieved nirvana, others are just validation-seeking, void-farmer, self-disrespectful egotistical losers (I'm exaggerating, of course, but t…

Try to see how your ego is projecting.

Re: Ego Death

#112

Post by beaker52 »

notnaut wrote: post #102
beaker52 wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The ego has a million-and-one (and, always one more) ways to subtly cling to anyone trying to rid themselves of it. As far as I can tell, from observations in myself, and of others, the ego is only something you can manage. You can experience moments of freedom (most reliably through psychedelics in my experience) that give you a taste of something beautiful and relieving. But the ego is just sleeping. The tentacles…

It’s my impression and experience that it’s far more directly built into language than metabolic processes, though certainly I see where you’re coming from. Shutting up for a long time is a pretty good way to test your comfort level with suppressing an inflated concept/value of self. Extending the shutting up to internal chatter, even more so.

Oh, great point. I believe this is why chanting meditation is a thing - they make internal chatter harder.

There's also a pretty popular book that claims existence started with the word.

Re: Ego Death

#113

Post by alganet »

russelldjimmy wrote: post #111
alganet wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The whole text reads to me as a huge ego trip. Look at these quotes: > You can’t tweet your way to self-respect. > How can anyone farming a void on emptiness internally enact change? > I see millions of empty users crying out for more validation The author is web buddha and just achieved nirvana, others are just validation-seeking, void-farmer, self-disrespectful egotistical losers (I'm exaggerating, of course, but t…

Try to see how your ego is projecting.

Oh, I'm projecting all sorts of things, I'm sure of it.

Re: Ego Death

#114

Post by oceanplexian »

thejackgoode wrote: post #83
Wolfenstein98k wrote: post #68

I don't know how to say this constructively, but this post reads like it is written with a deep smugness. It feels very "ego-y". It feels like the author has glommed onto a real concept (denying the ego) but instead used it to get out of the competitive marketplace of social media, and instead take it to their blog where the competition is invisible and lesser. It even basically finishes with "tune in later to keep i…

"no-ego ego" strikes again

Yes but what about the people who have an ego about not having an ego about ego?

Re: Ego Death

#115

Post by d1sxeyes »

norir wrote: post #13

I noticed the train wreck phenomenon she described around 2009 on facebook and immediately quit knowing that I lacked the self control to look away. I post from multiple anonymous hn accounts to test ideas and make a point of not acquiring a particularly high karma before switching to a new account to ensure that I don't get attached to a particular persona that might become correlated with the handle.

2009 was when FB introduced the 'like' button, which I think burdens the majority of the responsibility for the decline of the quality of interactions on Facebook.

Gathering 'likes' was addictive, and because of the low effort required to 'like' things, it created the false impression of being connected to people. Suddenly, reacting to EVERYTHING became an expectation. Of course, this is what Facebook wanted, but it is overwhelming to react meaningfully to everything every one of the 338 friends an average Facebook user has.

There's also the receiving side of likes - the Variable Ratio Schedule which means the more you post, the more likely you are to receive a 'like' - but there's not a direct correlation. Skinner (the father of operant conditioning) identified this as the most effective reward mechanism to condition behaviour.

I believe (quite strongly) that the 'like' button is directly or indirectly responsible for most of the mental health damage being done by Facebook and Instagram.

Re: Ego Death

#116

Post by K0balt »

verisimi wrote: post #91
beaker52 wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The ego has a million-and-one (and, always one more) ways to subtly cling to anyone trying to rid themselves of it. As far as I can tell, from observations in myself, and of others, the ego is only something you can manage. You can experience moments of freedom (most reliably through psychedelics in my experience) that give you a taste of something beautiful and relieving. But the ego is just sleeping. The tentacles…

I agree. I don't think its possible to kill one's ego. And that one shouldn't want to do that anyway. I would say, that one can educate the ego so that it is working with you not against you - one can try to align it with one's principles and remove the multiple incompatible desires in oneself. This involves internal reflection, awareness of one's emotions, acknowledgement of one's shadow self, love of honesty, endur…

It seems to be possible, but it requires extreme commitment. Different sects of Buddhism may show the way, but it is something people commit their life to completely to fully achieve.

Even then, who is to say if the monks starving to death sitting on the floor aren’t smug in their achievement lol.

Still, for those looking to reduce the role of ego in their life, it is a potential path.

Ego reduction is a sufficient and useful goal for many people.

Re: Ego Death

#117

Post by K0balt »

linuxdude314 wrote: post #100
Wolfenstein98k wrote: post #68

I don't know how to say this constructively, but this post reads like it is written with a deep smugness. It feels very "ego-y". It feels like the author has glommed onto a real concept (denying the ego) but instead used it to get out of the competitive marketplace of social media, and instead take it to their blog where the competition is invisible and lesser. It even basically finishes with "tune in later to keep i…

Do you realize you’re providing a very smug criticism about a recently deceased, beloved by many, community member? If the authors earnest blog post strikes you as ego-y maybe stop for a second check your own ego. Your cynical response to someone practicing vulnerability is disgusting.

What is with the recent (2000+) use of “disgusting” to mean reprehensible?

Disgusting tends to directly describe an individual rather than an act. I think that makes it much less useful in teaching and discourse, since it strongly evokes ad-hominem vibes.

I think we might all be better off to carefully consider the (mis)use of the term when our goal is to educate, enlighten, correct, or lead.

It’s a great term to use when the goal is to shame, diminish, or discredit an individual, but should we be doing that except in cases where a person has revealed themselves to be beyond a desire to improve or any hope of redemption?

Re: Ego Death

#118

Post by luminen »

norir wrote: post #105
exodust wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> correlated Why would there be correlation? Do you mean in your own mind, or decided by others? > test ideas I don't understand. You post things you don't necessarily believe, to see how people react? This is not a healthy approach for you or the platform. You could instead use one account and simply say you're not sure about this or that idea, or on the fence about particular issues.

I only post things I believe to be true but I am not always successful at communicating my thoughts and feelings. The response lets me know if I was effective or not. I also have blindspots and recognize that I may not be seeing the whole picture at any given moment. Sure, I could hedge every statement with every possible doubt but then it becomes impossible to actually say anything. If I had a reputation then people…

The way you wrote this resonates with me. I've noticed the "pressure," internally sourced or not, that comes with building a persona in a community of peers you (for the most part) respect.

It's good in some ways because it drives behavior I would consider healthy in a community--thoughtfully reviewing a post before hitting 'reply,' respectful discourse, and thorough fact-checking.

But I also find that same pressure convincing me not to post, especially if I'm a novice in an area or need help. I understand this is egotistical in many ways, and managing it by "staying anonymous via a new stage name" is a really interesting idea.

Re: Ego Death

#120

Post by 93po »

K0balt wrote: post #117
linuxdude314 wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you realize you’re providing a very smug criticism about a recently deceased, beloved by many, community member? If the authors earnest blog post strikes you as ego-y maybe stop for a second check your own ego. Your cynical response to someone practicing vulnerability is disgusting.

What is with the recent (2000+) use of “disgusting” to mean reprehensible? Disgusting tends to directly describe an individual rather than an act. I think that makes it much less useful in teaching and discourse, since it strongly evokes ad-hominem vibes. I think we might all be better off to carefully consider the (mis)use of the term when our goal is to educate, enlighten, correct, or lead. It’s a great term to use…

I appreciate your thoughts here and I also wish people were kinder online. I’m guilty of being an asshole too often
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