Icons and Egos

On Egos and Icons

Egos are how we perceive ourselves to be.

We can sense ourselves in the flesh as well as metaphysically.

Mentally I can address my thoughts as though I were conversing with a helpless observer version of myself.

The truth is I am not as I see myself.

I am much more than this metaphor of a reflection.

I can be seen from infinite directions.

And I can disappear as well.

Just ask the dead then.

Icons are how we seem at a glance.

How we consistently give off a subtle reminder of some more popular figure.

And icon is a silhouette in which we stand.

It’s what we wear and how we do our hair and why people might consider us weird.

What stands out about you regardless of what you consider to be important about you.

What is the first impression you give, and how impactful, how long lasting, how influential is that impression?

To satisfy the ego one must constantly seek advice from oneself and follow that advice.

Taking this path will result in you having the highest possible esteem for yourself.

The confidence that comes with this esteem may be perceived as arrogance.

Humility however implies that you are able to put your ego’s directions aside and work towards the benefit of the many before maximizing the benefit for yourself.

To become iconic one must identify with a topic and construct an image in the name of that topic.

They must stand as a constant reminder to those around them of that greater concept.

An arrogant man will seek to become an icon that they couldn’t possibly sustain.

They’ll live in a delusion of grandeur.

A humble individual will always successfully become an icon, although their humility may not be apart of what makes them iconic.

Humility is something we can display through dress, but because many icons require one to take risks with regulars to their appearance, the humility required to take these risks is often overshadowed by the boldness of the display.

A humble ego tells the self that life matters, and is best spent care free. An arrogant ego will tell itself that only one life matters, and that’s me. While shirking responsibility for helping others this arrogant ego in fact puts entirely too much pressure on the self to become something greater than the self. After all, of my life is the only one that matters, why shouldn’t everyone know that?

Back to the icon, who everyone recognizes has a certain value. A humble icon separates their ego from that iconic value. They say I am far from what others say I am, I am far from what I see myself as, I am more accurately an inconsistent mix of both. In other words: value not guaranteed. An arrogant icon is fake. They’ve placed a high value on attaining an image that they’re doing a poor job of maintaining and nobody appreciates an apparent fraud. They are lost, and as a result their ego does great harm to itself, relying on external affirmation of value.

So what are our values? How do we compare to each other?

We have little to no value, yet we do compare.

Let that sink in without resistance.

We have little to no value, and yet we do compare.

When was the last time one invented something so revolutionary as the wheel?

Inventions that changed human behavior irreversibly for hundreds or thousands of years?

Now I’m using time as a measure of value because that’s what I perceive to be valuable, and if you work for a salary or an hourly wage you might agree with me on the notion; That our time is what we value most.

So what is your time worth compared to mine?

And how rarely do we find that someone’s idea transforms and impacts many generations all over the world for a long time at the same time?

You see it’s rare to be as valuable as the inventor of the wheel.

It’s more common to be as valuable as a farmer, or a teacher, or a mechanic, or a doctor, or any other career profession you might think of.

The truth is a doctor is better compared to a barber than to the inventor of the wheel.

And the inventor of the wheel pales in comparison to the inventor of the universe. That’s a discussion for another time.

The point is that we are both egos attempting to understand ourselves, and icons attempting to fit these molds that are built for us.

We value the time it takes to do these things with accuracy and consistency.

We value our time over others out of arrogance, but we value time immemorial out of humility. Because we know we’ll likely be lost in its infinite silence. It’s ever prescient judgment. It’s never ending glory; And It’s terrifying decay.