The Ego’s Bushwalk
Ego pretends to search for truth, dragging you on endless bushwalks. The real truth is: you keep the energy, ego gets nothing.
Saturday, August 30, 2025
Metaphorical Narrative
Picture ego as a guide insisting on bushwalking through endless scrub.
It waves its hand: “Out here lies the truth — follow me!”
The trails are rough, the views unremarkable, and worst of all — you don’t even like bush walks.
But ego doesn’t care if you enjoy the path. Its only aim is to keep you wandering, searching, consuming energy on a quest that never ends.
The so-called “truth” is always just one more bend away, like a rabbit that never shows itself.
Core Insight
Ego uses noble disguises. When direct tricks fail, it sells “truth-seeking” as the next service. But this isn’t wisdom — it’s energy theft.
Executive functions (EF) reclaim control by asking: “Do I want this, or is ego keeping me busy?”
Starving ego doesn’t mean deprivation. It means refusing to fuel pointless wandering. You save the energy, ego gets nothing.
Saturday Experiment
- Catch the Noble Trick: Notice when ego frames a task as “truth-seeking” or “exploration.”
- Ask the Ownership Question: “Do I actually want this, or is it just busyness in disguise?”
- Keep the Energy: Drop the bushwalk. Return to your chosen path or your calendar.
Sunday Reflection
- Where did ego try to trick the person into “finding truth”?
- How much energy was conserved by skipping the wander?
- What did the person do with that reclaimed energy instead?