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Originally Posted by Moonglow
Seeing "ego" as a shield is an interesting way of viewing it, for it seems in some manner the term is used in defending the "self" or how the self relates. Looking at it this way the ask;what is one defending?
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Again you bring up some very insightful ideas which seem to agree with things I'm seeing and have read. If we are going to define the ego we have to now define the self. Do we think ego is the same as Self. If I understand aspects of self, ego is an aspect of it and as an aspect only a part. The ego is surprisingly not the (whole) Self. In this conversation the ego is the decision maker hence why imo important.
Of course Ego is awareness of self (it knows) but also not aware Self is larger and there are parts of self ego does not know. Ego is our subjective part of being conscious. Ego is part of being subjective. Ego relies on the known not the unknown part of Self. The un or sub conscious is not ego. So ego is defended what is known not unknown, things it cannot imagine (image). Jung for instance believed in the shadow ego which today is repression. He had belief how it and other aspects should be incorporated into the self. That there are simply parts of self that are hidden. So how can decisions be made when parts of self are hidden. No one has said if the ego expands (grows as more is brought into conscious awareness) which is what I see. That as one becomes more aware and the unknown (of or in Self) becomes smaller by becoming known ego grows and blossoms, it has to change because it sees more, it's known is greater and ego cannot do anything opposite to itself. The Self is the classroom.
I think Self is not ego and as Self opens ego changes. Ego can defend only what it knows but a person can always know more, ie: spiritual. Do you think the ego is the decision maker? Spirituality can be hindered by the decisions we make is my thought to the original question.