#351 – Why does your Ego love "us/them" thinking

Thinking in terms of us vs. them can feel protective in uncertain times.

The narrative goes like this:

• We––people like me––are the good ones. They––people not like me––are the bad ones. Therefore,
• We deserve resources (shelter, food, wealth, jobs, health care). They don't. Therefore,
• If/when they take our resources, they put us in danger. Therefore,
• It's ok to hate them, shun them, deprive them of resources, kill them.

That's how the Ego (or a two-year-old protecting their toy in the playground) talks. "Mine!"

Is the Ego wrong to speak like that? Yes, and no.

YES

Yes, because when we outgrow the "mine!" phase, we learn to talk and negotiate agreements. We learn to share resources when we understand that not everything is a zero-sum game, even if giant corporations, industry lobbies, and media companies want us to believe that.

We understand that people born in the country AND people coming from abroad in search of a better life CAN live together. That being different (in skin color, table manners, or church habits) isn't a threat––but a bounty.

That people voting blue AND people voting red are just people, and they both want a better life for themselves and their communities––even if their idea of community differs.

NO

And no, because the Ego's job is to protect you and protect what's yours.

The Ego's arrested development makes it (now and forever) unable to get to a more sophisticated understanding of what it means to live in community.

The Ego will always think in us/them terms because it makes it feel safe.

The Ego will never outgrow the "mine!" phase. But you have.

Where will you erase the "us/them" narrative from your life?

Love,

Carolina