The worst advisor

by Alfonsina Betancourt

The two sides of my brain passionately debated a dilemma today: what makes us stay with someone (love, friend) or something (job, project, goal)? Is it plain commitment, luck, stubbornness, or fear? After much deliberation, I could only find one common thread through all the examples I could think of. The answer was not something we need to possess but rather something we need to tame: our ego. Is there a worst advisor than ego? If we make any decision, big or small, but all our arguments derive from avoidance to hurt the ego, we might miss the chance of fulfillment and real happiness. We can only evaluate if we are on the right path for the right reasons by putting our ego on a tray, far from our minds and hearts, and becoming completely vulnerable. In painting, for example, there is an unavoidable moment (at least for me) when I feel I do not know how to continue. If, at that moment, I decide to listen to my ego, there is a high probability that the painting no longer represents my essence and goes in a direction that does not satisfy me at all. The point is not quitting, but rather becoming deaf to the wrong voices, not to get distracted by the siren's songs that ego represents. Now that the argument is settled, I will let my brain work on something else, not because I have to, not because I am committed, but because I want to. Besides, I have to go pack Ego's suitcases, he loves to over-welcome his stay.

originally written 2/2/16