Questioner: How can we control the ego?
Acharya Prashant: We have this electric fan here, right? And let's say we want to control its functioning. We have so many other machines around, so many other phenomena around. Can you do anything about this fan if you do not understand this fan? Can you do anything about this fan if you do not understand how it operates, if you do not really know what is the reality of that electromagnetic motor inside, if you do not know, what is the significance of the wingspan and the RPM?
To control anything, you must first understand it. Do you realize this? It is impossible to control something—you can destroy it, but you can't control it—It is impossible to control something without understanding it.
This sounds simple but is extremely important because we are habituated to trying to control without understanding. Now, do I really understand the ego? Do I really understand the ego? How do I control something that I do not understand?
Let's say an epidemic breaks out, some disease is spreading like wildfire—a very contagious disease. There is a whole team of doctors and researchers that wants to control the disease. What must they do? They have to first find out what is this disease, right? They have to find out what is this disease, whether it has spread from a virus, is it a bacteria, or is it something else?
What is the ego? The question of controlling the ego, hence, translates into the question of understanding the ego, right? We have to first understand it. What is this thing called the ego? What is the ego?
