The ego is a powerful tool, because it is the instrument for psychological investigation and exploration. Therefore, learning, acknowledging and building a healthy ego are all very important in the growth of an individual. -Excerpt from the book
Ego was written during a time when desperately wanted to grow. My early 20’s came with a huge shift in perspective, plus uncertainty and confusion about my surroundings as well as my own self. Often I felt as though I was suspended and swayed back and forth by earth’s elements. However in truth, earth’s elements were detached and trying to become one with me. Especially Fire, the heat, a component that I has been so detached from up till that point. I knew I had a fire in me, but I had seen it as a separate entity. With the ego book, I was able to realize that I had to incorporate this fire and accept it as me. This was portrayed in the ‘Depths’ section of the book in the poems Phlegathon, Spring and Larva Alarm. This aspect as well influenced the cover design of the book.
Like many, my early 20s came with confusion about who I really was. The poem ‘WHO AM I” poses a question many young people ask themselves. Towards the end of the book, ‘I AM ME’ gives an account on how to answer this question. Truly, the essence of the core is one to be learned and discovered all throughout one’s life time. However, the ego is in charge of making all identity and deciding who one is at the moment and in the future as well. As the ego explores and learns the self, it is able to recognize its strengths, its weaknesses and accept all hues and colors. With more self-awareness and active growth, the ego witnesses the essence of the self, a person then sees exactly what belongs to them and what does not. Society will only answer 1% of this question, who someone really is can be answered by their own psychological exploration. With this realization, came the inspiration to embark on this project.
Themes of balance are explored throughout the book. From light and dark, to happiness and sorrow, to shallowness and depth. The poems ‘Eloquent folly’, ‘Art: Eternal Relationship’ and ‘Failing’ capture the three main feelings that creators have in regards to art. Art, just like growth, it is often liberating, often captivating and also often disappointing. However, this is all part of a transformative process that yields a bigger picture, which is wholeness and completion.
Ego is the beginning of a larger journey, the start of a thrilling adventure, a continuing chapter in the life of the reader. There are mountains to be climbed and oceans to be explored, journeys to be taken and triumphs to be conquered. There are cycles and loops, colors and sensations, triumphant illuminations, all calling your name, waiting for you to take the leap and begin the journey towards wholeness and balance. Never stop learning, never stop creating, never stop fighting and most importantly, don’t you ever ever stop growing.