Some of the more persistent problems of human existence stem from the false belief that man has a human ego. Christian Science reveals Ego as God. This knowledge corrects the confusing misconceptions resulting from the belief that ego is a mortal selfhood capable of being bruised and battered by human circumstances.
Mrs. Eddy tells us in Science and Health, "The Ego-man is the reflection of the Ego-God; the Ego-man is the image and likeness of perfect Mind, Spirit, divine Principle." Science and Health, p. 281; In this book Mrs. Eddy uses the capital letter to indicate that Ego is another name for God.
Man's true self is a reflection of God. When one understands this, one sees that he reflects Ego just as he reflects Mind. He no more has an ego separate from God than he has a mind of his own. This understanding of the true nature of Ego heals all the false beliefs connected with human ego and reveals man's true selfhood as reflecting the nature of his Father. This self must include within it perfect poise and ability. It is not limited by lack of education, opportunity, or any material element. It is God's selfhood reflected, and it recognizes the same reflection in each one it meets. Seen in this light, no one is superior or inferior.
The belief in an inferiority complex is one of the false claims of a self-constituted ego, which feels inadequate to human surroundings. This belief gives free rein to shyness, backwardness, and misery. Sometimes extreme cases of inferiority hide under the blustery mask of pretended superiority. This is a state of self-deception that hinders the individual from seeing his true problem —that of feeling inadequate to meet the demands of the day.
The opposite side of the same coin presents the person who feels superior to those around him. These feelings of superiority stem from false conclusions, from false pride in worldly things such as money, social position, or possessions. All these complexes are healed with the truth of the one Ego.
Many other problems of human relationships can be solved with this same truth. In God one finds the selfhood of every idea. Two ideas cannot be at odds if both reflect the same Ego, and both must do so since there is only one. This oneness of man and Ego, as idea and Mind, leaves no room for ruptured relations. All ideas of God are held together in perfect relationship.
If someone refuses to act in a way that conforms to the high sense of selfhood unfolded in Christian Science, we need to see that his problem does not become our own. If we react to the frustrations and unlovely characteristics of a fellow being, we have let his problems become ours. This does neither of us any good. But when we accept the one Ego as the source of all true selfhood, we help to heal another.
Domination is another claim of false selfhood. The individual who tries to dominate or rule is laboring under the desire to have an ego separate from God. The true reflection of Ego blends with every other reflection. It can only express God. Sometimes the individual with the tendency to dominate is unaware of this common fault. A good way for one to check up on himself is to ask the question, "Am I trying to do anyone's thinking for him?"
Selfishness and sensitiveness are two more culprits of mortal mind. Mrs. Eddy writes in her Message to The Mother Church for 1900: "Our Master saith to his followers: 'Bring forth things new and old.' In this struggle remember that sensitiveness is sometimes selfishness, and that mental idleness or apathy is always egotism and animality." '00., p. 8;
The sensitive person is often concerned only with self. He wonders what people are saying and thinking about him. The person working to overcome sensitiveness and selfishness learns to live his life for others. He becomes too concerned about overcoming the mortal self to worry about what anyone is thinking about this selfhood. He realizes that as he reflects the true Ego there will be no false ego to be hurt. And when the temptation comes to him to think about what others are doing or saying, Christ Jesus' rebuke of Peter will be a constant reminder, "What is that to thee? follow thou me." John 21:22;
Think what a boon to tired humanity is this truth of Ego. Too many people today are suffering from mental problems, and the world sees many evidences of warped human personality, or what could be falsely called warped ego. The constant recognition of selfhood as the reflection of God heals a warped sense of ego.
The Ego-man always reflects God. There was never a moment when man was not at one with this true self. If there ever had been a moment when man was separated from his real self, there would have been a moment when man was separated from God, and this situation can never arise. The knowledge that man has never had a false, material ego does away with all discordant claims of the past—past mistakes and past inadequacies—for the Bible tells us, "God requireth that which is past." Eccl. 3:15; The mistakes caused by this false past are but the mistakes made in the mortal dream. When the dreamer wakens, he no longer suffers from these old mistakes.
One time, while teaching, I found the necessity of learning the true nature of Ego. I began to believe that I was doing something on my own and that I was being recognized as a success. This, of course, was a false sense of self. It kept coming to me to straighten out my thinking in regard to the true concept of ego. But I put off doing so. Then one day what seemed to me to be an unfair situation arose, and I was unjustly but severely criticized by my superior. My feelings were hurt, and the injustice was hard to forget. I found I could not stop dwelling on it. Self-justification overwhelmed me. It was then pointed out that I was suffering because my ego had been hurt. This was the needed rebuke that awakened me to begin the studying that had previously presented itself to my thought.
I looked up every reference to the word "ego" in the writings of Mrs. Eddy and wrote down what I got out of them. By the time this assignment was finished, I found it hard even to remember what had perturbed me so much in my teaching work. The realization of one Ego took away any sense of an offended self. It also raised my concept of self to the level where no material criticisms could rankle. But more than this, it caused me to understand the meaning of Jesus' words, "I can of mine own self do nothing." John 5:30; This eliminated a belief of a selfhood apart from God. The superior recognized this healing and commented on the return of joy to the classroom. The injustice later corrected itself, and a harmonious relationship with all concerned was restored.
Jesus knew that true glory is to be found in man's unbroken relation to God. His prayer can be echoed by all who strive to see the true Ego and reflect it, "O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was." 17:5.
