The ego is defined as the "I" or "Self" of any person, having the perception or thinking that distinguishes itself from the selves of others. What I have learned over the years studying psychology is that when we are born, we are not born with this innate awareness or consciousness of one's own self. We become aware first of others, the first touch from other hands, smiles from other faces, security in the embrace of others, and recognizing the voices of others.
The Ego is a by-product of society's reflection upon your 'self'. As a child grows up his interactions increase and the reflection of his society increases with each interaction. The child thus learns to reflect on his society's reflections from his interactions, which ultimately the child will deem as his self worth. The child will learn to adapt to society's reflection as it seeks acceptance from its source i.e. friends, family, loved ones. The Ego is always in search of food, and the Ego's food is acceptance, attention, and constant gratification. If the ego starts to starve you will see your perception of the "Self" is agitated and shaken. The ego is society's perception of you, it is not who 'you' are, because 'you' did not create this perception, society painted it for you. If this perception is indeed painted then it can not be real, so the Ego has to constantly reassure itself that it is real through the food it repeatedly seeks. If no one is paying attention to him the Ego feels hungry, thus it is constantly seeking gratification through others, not gratification through its real 'self'.
The real "I" or "Self" is your soul, it cannot be swayed by opinions, social norms, nor gratification. The door to the soul is attained by first becoming aware of your Ego and aware of the constant need to please itself, instead of pleasing others. The soul does not comply to the chaos of society but to the cosmos of the universe. It sees the beauty in nature and not human made things. It sees himself, as a cog in a wheel that is continuously spinning. The soul is infinite the Ego is finite. The Hindu call it the one thousand petaled lotus, one thousand meaning infinite petals, which implies that the flower never dies and continues to keep flowering for eternity. Life can exist without the Ego, the evil lie it tells, is that YOU cannot live without him. But the real truth is that HE cannot live without you, he is a parasite that needs a host. So until you rid yourself of this attention loving, self serving parasite, one cannot find the real 'Self' or "I and I" as it is termed in Rastafarian vocabulary.
The soul is simple for it is neither a egotist nor is he humble, because if you are aware that you are humble then the ego still is rooted within. The soul is at peace, never ready for battle i.e.
"It happened that one Zen master was passing through a street. A man came running and hit him hard. The master fell down. Then he got up and started to walk in the same direction in which he was going before, not even looking back. A disciple who was with the master, was simply shocked. He said, "Who is this man? What is this? If one lives in such a way, then anybody can come and kill you. And you have not even looked at that person, who he is, and why he did it." The master said, "That is his problem, not mine."
The greatest trick the Ego has ever played is tricking you into believing that HE is You. That he is your best friend when indeed his is your worst enemy. You trust him because you think you are him, the biggest con the Ego has ever pulled off. He is right in front of you, but you're blind to its presence, because it hides in the last place you would ever look, within You.
"The greatest enemy will hide in the last place you would ever look" Julius Caesar 75 b.c.
