[Lucid]

What is the ego? A great question!

The ego has become villainized because people do not understand it's purpose and function. Due to this lack of understanding people have made the situation that much more murky by applying their judgements to that which they do not understand there by enlarging that which they say they are trying to lessen.

My understanding of ego is the perpetually reverberating echo of consciousness which develops due to the false perception we have of ourselves (limitation) to being limited, to being enclosed or encased within our bodies.

This illusionary creation of limited being, creates the illusory being of ego.

Consciousness at the fundamental level is infinitely expansive but it can also contract to experience "as if". For instance the experience of "as if I were John Smith". Fundamental consciousness knows it is not John Smith and so the ego is necessary for John Smith to exist but John Smith is only seeming.