The Real Enemy is Oneself. And the True Battle is the One Within.

The Real Enemy is Oneself. And the True Battle is the One Within. 

All problems arise from the overwhelming dominance of the sense of self in a person. Of course, we exist through our identity, but recognizing the excess of this feeling and bringing it to its proper level essentially keeping it balanced is something within our control. 

If we examine this more closely, we can see that at the root of every problem lies this dominant sense of self. When someone says something hurtful to you, you want to respond. When someone makes an unexpected move against you, your dominant ego feels hurt, wounded, and compels you to act. You want the other person to feel the same emotions. 

The sole fuel of the language of anger is ego. 

Think about it: you feed your ego throughout the day, yet your patience is constantly being drained. On one side, a well-nourished, strong child; on the other, a tired, exhausted, hopeless, weak one. And the most dramatic part is that all of this happens within a single body our own. How many of us exist within a single body? Are we even aware of it? 

The victory of ego is not limited to the person it takes over. Ego always triumphs over patience, goodwill, respect, and, most importantly, love. 

Yet we continue to act as if the opposite is true. For example, we think we love someone or something, but there is always some benefit or expectation involved. That benefit is the nourishment of the ego. The ego becomes a well-fed, rosy-cheeked entity due to that nourishment. No matter what our physical appearance is, inside, there is an insatiable, greedy, overgrown child. That child is the ego. I call it a child because it can be controlled, albeit with difficulty it can be managed, even if only slightly restrained. 

Imagine if the same principle applied to nature it would be a disaster. Imagine the sun saying, "You provide me no benefit, so I will no longer rise." Or trees complaining, "Forget about benefits, you even harm me, so I will no longer bear fruit for you." Fortunately, the laws of nature are far more civilized than ours. 

The individual struggles we face due to our dominant egos shape the society we live in. Our country goes to war with another and declares the other as the enemy, just as they declare us their enemy. 

So, who is the real enemy? 

The real enemy is oneself. And the true battle is the one within. Unless a person stops feeding their ego, they destroy themselves. Because ego is an expert at instilling fear in its owner: fear of death, fear of being alone, fear of abandonment, and so on. 

Pay attention: at the root of violence, there is fear. Even animals attack out of fear. A snake fears being killed. A lion fears death and must feed itself. 

Even if a dog attacks you, it is because you have frightened it. 

If you see an aggressive person and look closely, you will see the fear that dominates them. 

If a person first understands the excess of their sense of self (since a moderate sense of self is, of course, necessary), and if they see the disasters this excess leads to, then there is hope. And even if this realization is just a small spark, it can spread and grow. 

Wouldn't it be a more civilized approach to not only care about our own country's peace but also the world's peace, to not only worry about our own child but all children? 

If we see ourselves as part of a whole, we may begin to feel responsible for other parts as well. Because we would know that the part is not separate from the whole. If we truly recognize that we are part of nature, could we still destroy it? 

Osho says: 

Ego is an iceberg, 

Melt it! 

Melt it in deep love. 

Thus, it disappears. 

And you become part of the ocean.