Ego

Last night was the screening for Alice and Huck and I was, in fact, terrified! The movie was fabulous; so beautiful and interesting. My director, Kaleena, is an unbelievable talent and the writing was poetry.

So with that in mind I was as cool as a cucumber all day, and then wham! The party started, we screened the movie, and I wanted to disappear into the wall.
I had no idea I would feel that way, but exposing myself and the work that I had been a part of creating was one of the most vulnerable experiences I have ever had.

Film is such an incredible medium because it creates a permanent mark in time. It highlights and isolates history in a way that is undeniable. Whatever phase or thoughts were prevalent at the time of shooting are forever immortalized and publicized for all the world to see.

It’s interesting because it really does feel like the ultimate form of self-expression and authenticity, if that is in fact the type of performance you are striving to attain.

I wonder why authenticity is so challenging for me. I suppose it links back to simply admitting who I am and letting go of the image or the desire to be anything other than this. I was having a chat with my good friend, Nandie, and we were talking about how different the world would be if there was no ego. We certainly would never be embarrassed. Ego is one of those bizarre things that we create as a barrier for truthful experience. What is good about it? Anything?

Tell me… What do you think are the pros and cons of ego?

xo
allison

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  • Christnot

    To taylor nikole

    Hey, feel free to cut in anytime.
    :p

  • http://www.daybow.com David Hayes

    I think that being intellectual is consciously or actively delving into what you think about. Some people can just be smart without all the analysis or probing. They can learn to do a job and do it in a smart way or have some natural abilty without ever deeply looking into why they can do what they do. Smart can be relaxed or even lazy whereas intellectual can be active or obsessive.

  • http://www.daybow.com David Hayes

    I just wanted to congratulate Lydia on being able to attend the screening of “Alice and Huck” and meet Allison! You have been a true and constant supporter of her work and deserved every moment!

  • Phil Damico

    Con? Look at overpayed sports players that hold out of camps for even more money. Nuff Said!

  • Brittany

    Hey Allison! Congrats on Alice and Huck! I hope you had a very successful filmage. Pros to ego, it defines you, and helps you with what you do, it also builds up your confidence. Cons, having a big ego can sometimes hurt people’s feelings, and aswell as make you seem like a rude person, but don’t get me wrong, everyone needs an ego to strive and make themselves feel good. There’s nothing wrong with that now is there? :P Anyways I got to go study for math:( . I will post next one. Byes! Brittany

  • Kathy-Lynn Brown

    I just want to say that your an amazing actress and you deserve to be put on the top five best actresses of all times. I also would like to know when Alice and Huck will be released to the public. I can’t wait to see it.

  • Jo

    The most common ego identifications have to do with possessions, the work you do, social status and recognition, knowledge and education, physical appearance, special abilities, relationships, person and family history, belief systems, and often also political, nationalistic, racial, religious, and other collective identifications. None of these is you.
    -Eckhart Tolle

  • Phil Damico

    Dave,
    This community can make a difference in the World, what it will be remains to be seen. Maybe our alter-egos will swoop down and save the day.

  • http://www.new.facebook.com/profile.php?id=616472528&ref=name Dana

    In my experience, Ego, like virtually any single subject one can think of can be creative or destructive depending upon how it’s used.

    Without ego, who would have built the ships to sail to new worlds? Who would have built the tall buildings? Who, indeed would ever even get off the couch?

    Where would we be without the ego of Michelangelo? Thomas Edison, Horatio Nelson, Henry Ford, Shakespeare, Muhammad Ali, Elizabeth I, Steve Jobs and Teddy Roosevelt all made us greater because of their own egos.

    Now, too much ego creates Donald Trumps. Not enough ego creates… well… no one you’ve ever heard of, because they spend their lives just existing and not thriving.

    Your opening quote, by the legendary Eleanor Roosevelt ties in quite nicely to the notion of ego. Live well, experience more. Strive! But try to be a bit more Paul Newman, and a whole lot less Kanye West. :)

  • http://whitecollarmarketing.com Sarah

    Ego as the sense of self can’t be obliterated even if we tried. But what our sense of self is based on makes all the difference in our own experience and in our effects on others.

    If our sense of self is based on Truth, and we live in relationship with Truth, then we live an open, relaxed, deeply happy life, free from fear in relation to ourselves, God, and others.

    But if our sense of self is based on illusions of who we are or want to be (aka “lies”), then we live in a defensive mode, fearful of what others think, or of discovering we are not who we think we are.

    We did not create ourselves into existence. So we are not the ground of our own being. Thus we cannot define ourselves apart from the Creative Intention of the Ground of all being (God).

    When we insist on defining ourselves apart from God, then we redefine truth and God and everyone else to protect our images of ourselves.

    What is absolutely amazing is that once we connect with the Ground of our being, we are then really able to join as Co-Creator in our own becoming of all that we were created to be — and all that we choose to do with that for good in the world.

    So Ego just IS, and we live either from our true self or a false self depending on what our sense of self is based on.

    Humility is embracing the Truth — all truth, “good” and “bad”. People who cannot embrace the bad or inadequate in themselves can’t extend true grace to anyone else. They also live in isolation, no authenticity or real relationship. It’s all fake.

    However, people who refuse to embrace the good in themselves cause just as much harm to the world. They cannot fully celebrate the good in others without embracing it in themselves. And they can’t offer their gifts and goodness to the world, so the whole world is deprived.

    To hell with “being modest” about the good that we embody and the capabilities we have! It does the world no good, and is in fact a tactic of darkness to keep us from shining our light.

    Very, very fun stuff.

  • http://soleilfleur.wordpress.com Kristen Hebert

    Pros:
    We can have a sense of dignity about ourselves; meaning, we can respect your own thoughts, our minds in general, our bodies, and our souls if we think highly of ourselves. We won’t be brought down easily by the actions and opinions of others. Also, we can easily pick ourselves back up when we -are- brought down mentally and emotionally. Ego helps keep our self-importance in tact, and acknowledges our place in the world in relation to everything else.

    Cons:
    Ego can make us arrogant, closed minded, and even ignorant. And ignorance leads to a dangerous lifestyle. Ego can also cause us to think irrationally because ego is often paired with pride, which means that we won’t always do the right thing because we are trying so hard to maintain our ego status.

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