A short spoken excerpt discussing the spiritual/psychological distinction between ego identification and awareness. The speaker defines ego as complete identification with arising thoughts, emotions, and reactions, and contrasts that with a state where a subtle background awareness recognizes thoughts without full self-investment.
When you are completely identified with every arising thought and every arising emotion and every arising reaction, that's ego. The complete identification with that is ego. But when there's no longer a complete identification, there's still form identity. You may experience thoughts arising without knowing why they suddenly arise. And yet, if there's even a slight awareness in the background that these are thoughts, you're not totally invested with your sense of self in every thought that arises.
Why alcohol feels like relief, and what it is really giving you | Eckhart Tolle
