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7.3

A revisit to the definition of the inner voice- conscience and ego

Have you ever been in a situation where you want something nearby that is not yours and seemingly two voices appear in your head- one saying "take it, it's ok." and one saying "don't"?

As we outlined at the beginning of the journey of SELF, this battle between two voices seems to be one of the great constants of human life- the battle between the animal, the selfish and the spirit, what is best and worse in us.

Sometimes, there seems to be just one voice yelling loud and clear. Other times it is as if an entire family of voices has moved in to camp in our heads. Whatever has been the case, we have all experienced the difficulty in seeking to find a balance between these two voices.

It is now time to identify these two voices- and to seek to classify and understand one in particular. The other- conscience (sometimes also called spirit, or soul) we will discuss later in this book.

In identifying ego, and defining it, we seek to finally understand why these voices clash and why we do what we do.

7.3.1

The definition and concept of ego

In previous chapters, we introduced the word and the concept of ego- the sense of self, that part of us that identifies itself as I. As mentioned, the word finds it origin from Latin, where ego literally is translated as I.

Since the beginning of the 20th Century, ego has become better known as one of the centres of mind as described by the famous psychologist, Dr Sigmund Freud- the ego, the superego and the id.

While a complete definition of what we mean by ego is only possible by progressing further into this chapter, it is sufficient at this point to say that the UCA understanding of ego is something approximating Freud but with vastly greater subtly, purpose, intelligence and depth.

7.3.2

The definition and concept of conscience

The word conscience comes from Old French of the same spelling , Origin is Latin conscienta meaning " privity of knowledge, consciousness", from conscire "know or be privy with (another, or oneself)"

Inward knowledge or consciousness; internal conviction (1745)

Inmost thought; mind, heart (1611)

The internal recognition of the moral quality of one's motives and actions; the faculty or principle which pronounces upon the moral quality of one's actions or motives, approving the right and condemning the wrong (1500's)

Conscientiousness (1500's)

Tenderness of feeling (1500's).

Thus while we consider conscience today in a moral sense, it original meaning has more to do with inner awareness, inner discernment than anything else.

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