Myth of Ego Death

The ego never dies. At least, when you are still alive. Numerous people, who underwent psychedelic experiences, can relate to the concept of ego death - the dissolution of the self/identity as a concept. There are also a good number of people that believes ego death simply means becoming humble or have diminishing arrogance but we will not focus on them.

No amount of psychedelics or even meditation will result in the death of one's ego. They simply make you aware of it. What you do with that awareness is completely up to you. In fact, a lot of times, people who undergo ego "death" comes out as more arrogant and have an inflated ego. Probably they recognized the fragility of ego and ended up being overprotective of it. Again, what you do with the awareness of your ego decides what you will become.

The way I like to think of ego is as if it is like the earth's core. Throughout your life, your experiences get added to that core as layers, building up to who you identify as. When you have lots of experiences (layers), as it happens as we age, it progressively gets harder and harder to find that core. Thus, when you have a psychedelic experience or deep meditation, it can often result in chaotic confusion or total bliss. It depends on how you navigate through all those layers to get closer to the core of your ego. You need to realize all those layers and chisel them away to get to the center.

Now, I do not know what happens when you reach the center. Most people probably acknowledge the existence of ego and work around it to better their lives. But I personally do not believe in the idea of ego death. If you did manage to kill off your ego, what would your dreams be like? Would you still dream in the first person, thus proving that the self still exists?