Key Messages
Overcoming the Ego to Create a Better World: Exploring How Our Minds Can Bring About Positive Change
If you want to make the world a better place, it starts with overcoming your ego and connecting to the present moment.
This is the message that’s found in Eckhart Tolle’s best-selling book A New Earth.
In it, he states that all of the conflicts and man-made catastrophes plaguing people globally are caused by our egos being too entrenched in either our histories or futures, thus never fully embracing the contentment that comes with stillness.
If we can get out of this pattern and move away from our constant complex thinking, then true happiness and fulfillment become possible.
And when real joy is present, so can come a greater level of love — to yourself as well as others — and a more tolerant society in which we can coexist without violence rooted in feelings of envy or greed.
This new era can be achieved when we understand what “sin” really means according to Christianity], why we must “evolve or die” in this day and age, and learn how to embody qualities like ducks who live simply but joyfully.
The Search for a Solution to Humanity’s Collective Madness Continues
Society’s madness is all too obvious in the violence people inflict upon each other and the planet.
Ancient religions – such as Hinduism talking about ‘maya’ as a form of collective mental illness, Buddhism describing the mind’s natural state as ‘dukkha’, a condition of suffering and misery, and Christianity connecting sinful behavior to missing out on the point of human existence – agree that humanity is plagued by dysfunctions and even derangement.
The 20th century brought weapons like bombs, machine guns, gas chambers and mass killings in countries like Soviet Russia, Cambodia or Myanmar – atrocities we can witness even today.
Greed and hatred prompt us to devastate forests, pollute air and water, oppress each other or mistreat animals in factory farms.
All while traditional religions are powerless to offer solutions that keep violence at bay.
But there must be one: can you find it out?
We Need to Evolve or Die: How We Can Find a Path out of Humanity’s Self-Destructive Patterns
Religion isn’t the only solution to our inner madness, and for centuries, people have searched for something other than religion that would bring us closer to a better solution.
Communism is an example of a philosophy inspired by good intentions and the hope of improving society, yet it ultimately failed due religious leaders who lacked the proper state of consciousness and acted without self-reflection.
The ancient writings of Buddha, Lao Tzu, and other religious teachers illustrate centuries of wisdom; yet all too often these messages were twisted or misunderstood, leading to more divisions – even violence – in society instead of promoting harmony as intended.
The same can be said about how Christianity has been viewed over time – ironically, many atrocities have been committed in its name despite Jesus’s teachings being based off empathy and kindness.
It becomes evident that in our desperate search for a way out from destructive habits, we’ve fostered an environment which leads to our own destruction – one that science and technology seem to only magnify with each new advancement.
It’s now clear that we need to shift our focus – evolve or die .
We must move away from this pattern if humanity is ever going to survive, which means finding a new solution for ourselves.
How Detaching from the Ego Can Help Us See The World More Clearly
If we’re to combat our inner destructive forces, we must understand that it is the ego that fuels these forces.
We often find ourselves floundering in our thoughts and feelings, unable to connect with anything outside of ourselves, and this is because the ego keeps us blind to the truth.
The world today encourages us to look for validation through material possessions, seeing ourselves as separate identities defined by accomplishments or backgrounds – but this isn’t who we truly are.
The true I is not a mental construct or ‘I’ formed of our thoughts and opinions – it’s the observer who can witness these streams of consciousness from an outside perspective.
Releasing the grip of ego isn’t easy, as it leads to insecurity, anxiety and discontentment – however it’s necessary if we want to be truly free from the harmful effects of its influence.
To prove this point, all one had to do was observe the woman from author’s college subway experience talking loudly and angrily, oblivious to her surroundings – prompting him to realize how much like her he had become without realizing it.
To break this cycle and loosen our attachment with external features and limitations, we must first recognize that our sense of self comes not from within but beyond; only then will we be able to combat negative inner forces and work towards living a life free from suffering.
Ducks Offer Us a Reminder to Let Go and Move On with Life
The ego is one of the biggest culprits when it comes to the human tendency to hold onto pain and suffering from the past.
It’s often difficult for us to let go of negative situations, and instead of allowing them to pass by, we find ourselves ruminating over past hurts or dwelling on anxiety about the future.
Take, for example, the story of two Zen monks: Tanzan and Ekido.
When they saw a young woman struggling to cross a muddy road without getting her silk kimono dirty, Tanzan picked her up and carried her across safely.
And yet, after five hours of walking in silence, Ekido was still upset about what had happened.
He said to Tanzan “We monks are not supposed to do things like that!” To which Tanzan replied “I put the girl down hours ago.
Are you still carrying her?”
Unfortunately, many of us find ourselves in similar situations where we’re carrying emotional baggage from our past experiences with us instead of being able to move on like ducks after a fight – quickly separating and swimming away in opposite directions as if nothing happened.
The key is to recognize that while sometimes it’s okay to take some time to reflect on our experiences and process them accordingly, ultimately it’s important for us to be able to let go and move forward so that we can return back into the present moment, giving ourselves inner peace.
The Real Purpose of Life Is to Awaken Through a Change in Consciousness
If you’re looking to find true contentment and find a true life purpose, it’s important to recognize that there are two different goals – the outer purpose and the inner purpose.
The outer includes things like making money, building a career, raising children, and so on.
On the other hand, your inner purpose is about tuning into awareness beyond thought and recognizing that our real “I” is the awareness existing outside of our thoughts.
The outer purposes come with external change, which can eventually let you down if you depend on them for your meaning in life.
If your underlying motivation for an action is about ego or admiration from others rather than coming from a conscious state, it can also prevent you from achieving true contentment.
Moreover, depending on someone else’s failure defeats the whole point of having an inner purpose in the first place!
By understanding this distinction between the two kinds of goals and working towards both of them with consciousness rather than ego-driven desires, we open ourselves up to finding true contentment in life.
Step Out of Your Comfort Zone to Fully Appreciate Life and Find Enlightenment
According to A New Earth author Ekhart Tolle, living an enlightened life is all about acceptance and enjoyment.
Acceptance means being willing to do whatever needs to be done in a peaceful and open fashion, even when the task isn’t enjoyable or exciting.
This way, you can reach a state of mind where it’s possible to accept the task without having to love it.
On the other hand, enjoyment should come naturally if you are able to stay present in the moment.
When this happens, the joy of consciousness can move through your body.
Nevertheless, it’s still important that you keep yourself humble and not get too carried away by your successes.
Overall, these two elements – acceptance and enjoyment – are essential for living an enlightened life.
Achieving this will allow you to be more peaceful and experience true joy in everyday tasks – no matter how mundane they may seem!
Wrap Up
The final summary of the book A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle is this: we must learn to stop the destructive cycle of violence, judgment and attachment fueled by our egos in order to achieve true internal joy and global peace.
To do this, all we must do is something incredibly simple yet easily forgotten – take a few deep breaths.
Doing so will allow us to tune into our inner aliveness and let go of the stresses that plague us.
In doing so we will allow ourselves the opportunity to find joy amidst chaos, peace amidst violence, love amidst fear and life within death.
