Our Friend the Ego

Our ego can be a dangerous thing.

Now “ego” here simply means

That sense of “I” that gets in our way.

I wonder: is it in our genes?

 

(I’m not referring to the ego discussed

By the famous Sigmund Freud;

All of that psychological jargon

I clearly want to avoid.)

 

The ego that I am talking about

Is the one that tends to believe

That the WHOLE world REVOLVES around it,

And won’t give but loves to receive.

 

It’s the same ego that feeds our impatience

When many people simply don’t see

That their actions reflect the attitude,

Don't you know it’s all about ME?”

 

Our ego, too, can fan our temper

When unexpected incidents upset us

And when things go wrong we think

That somebody is out to get us.

 

Our friend the ego--a bit insecure--

Has us believing in retribution,

And any affront to our character demands

That getting even's our only solution.

 

The poor ego is devastated

Whenever it feels major rejection;

And men’s egos are completely destroyed

When they can’t get an erection.

 

If we can somehow let go of our ego

And try to take life as it comes,

We’ll encounter much less stress

And end up chewing on fewer Tums.

 

Or we'll find that conquering our ego

Will provide us the consolation

Of truly appreciating our lives

With much less medication.

(7-21-14)