Dr Mark Epstein: Advice Not Given

"There are many things in life we can do nothing about—the circumstances of our childhoods; natural events in our outer worlds; the chaos and catastrophe of illness, accident, loss, and abuse—but there is one thing [many of us] can change. How we interact with our own egos is up to us. We get very little help with this in life. No one really teaches us how to be with ourselves in a constructive way. There is a lot of encouragement in our culture for developing a stronger sense of self. Self-love, self-esteem, self-confidence, and the ability to aggressively get one's needs met are all goals that [many] people subscribe to. As important as these accomplishments may be, however, they are not enough to guarantee well-being. People with a strong sense of self still suffer. They may look like they have it all together, but they [perhaps] cannot relax without drinking or taking drugs. They cannot unwind, give affection, improvise, create, or symphatize with others if they are steadfastly focused only on themselves. Simply building up the ego leaves a person stranded. The most important events in our lives, from falling in love to giving birth to facing death, all require the ego to let go."

— Dr Mark Epstein, 2018

http://markepsteinmd.com