The main disorders of the soul stem from an overly present ego. The ego causes us more suffering than necessary because it disconnects us from the absolute truth, which states that there is no fundamental difference between us and others, and that ultimately, we are all connected to one another. This truth, of course, is not accessible or tangible to everyone. Only those who have deeply developed their awareness can reach such conclusions. One of the first barriers to overcome in order to glimpse the rays of truth is that of the ego.
Losing Yourself in the Task to Lose Your Sense of Self
The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in service to others. – Gandhi
One of the most effective ways to reduce the ego is to devote yourself to a cause or task until you are totally absorbed in it. This phenomenon is called flow and was theorized by Mihály Csíkszentmihályi. There are countless things that prevent us from achieving flow regularly, and one of them is being too self-aware, particularly constantly thinking about what others think of us. Work, when well chosen, has the remarkable effect of diverting us from ourselves and allows us to live in the present moment, losing both self-consciousness and sense of time.
Flow is a Path to Happiness
If you want to be happy, you need to shed the veils of ignorance because happiness based on falsehood is equivalent to false happiness. To do this, it is necessary to surrender to a task. By being absorbed in an activity, we can push aside the ego, allowing us to touch a fragment of truth in our daily lives. To find yourself, you must ironically know how to lose yourself.