Any activity if it is done by associating 'Doer ship' creates Ego. If you believe that you are an identity then you have an Ego. If there is a 'You' then others are 'Them' and the game of life starts. If you do something - either you win or you lose, if you win - it creates Ego if you lose it creates resentment / depression etc.
Feeling of winning is so good that all identities seek it, it is difficult to create a win. Life is tough 99% things are not in your control or have been decided before you get to your senses in life. For rest of the life you try hard but till the win comes along it has too many 'what ifs' attached to it. So you need to find alternate ways to inflate that ego which is dying to be inflated, there must be another way out!
Self esteem is directly attached to most people's Ego. What if you find a huge win! a huge self esteem booster and a huge big fat Ego boost without doing anything? That's exactly what happens when you get a freebie.
If you are told you are a Hero for just 'being' - that's a good deal... right? There are a huge number of people who are with you because they found the same deal and they all in each other's company keep fortifying this notion that they are all great for just 'being'. Once you know you are great for being what you are, now you just look for arguments to fortify the same.
Let's take a few examples -
Patriotism - All countries think they are great and you being citizen automatically get to inherit the greatness. You become so proud of everything, like the history (which is His-story) you were told is filled with heroes, if someone tries to point a flaw in the historic Hero - it is direct affront to you. Because you get to be a free hero because of that history and no one can take it away from you! In reality obviously you did no contribution to the history you so romantically refer to.
Culture - Everyone has a huge ego about their Culture, people are ready to kill each other if it comes to culture and patriotism. How lucky - you just got everything the greatest! everything great just fell in your lap! It is not good enough for your culture to be good, it has to be the best and better than others. Because life is a game and your team needs to win.
Location / Region - You have seen people brought up in big cities or popular cities, they are so proud of it. You better not tell anyone their city is bad, a free win will be protected fiercely. Your contribution....?
Religion - Biggest Ego is about Religion. Everyone's religion is great but no one has time to apply it on themselves, it is used as a Ego exercise and Sports. Mine Vs Yours and Mine is better. How did you get here? Oh... I was born into it. Wow.. how lucky ... you were born into the greatest one!
Same goes for Food preferences, or any other thing you are born into. This is the scope of this philosophy, but if you like, you can take it farther. You are also born with yourself as you are with the body and mind you have, your own personal traits, are they really your contribution? If you have great sense of humor and timing, is that something you worked on? When did you acquire it? how did you train for it? The fact is - you don't know why you are the way you are, but you still have a lot of ego about your own self and go extra mile to figure out how being funny is a great thing, or for that matter being a clean freak, or having attention to detail, or being sensitive, or being stoic .... etc etc.. you get my point.
What a coincidence! that your country, your culture, your religion, your language and your personal traits are the best in the world! or is it your level of insecurity? the more zealously you defend your ego the worse it looks.
