In the West, as well as some other parts of the world, the personal sense of ego tends to predominate, whereas in other areas, there is a more collective sense of ego. This collective ego emphasizes the 'we' rather than the 'I.'
Nations have their ego, just like individuals.
In good company, the individuals merge their egotism into a social soul exactly co-extensive with the several consciousnesses there present.
Every ethnic group thinks they are the chosen ones.
It is, I think, an indisputable fact that Americans are, as Americans, the most self-conscious people in the world, and the most addicted to the belief that the other nations of the earth are in a conspiracy to under value them.
Every people is a chosen people in its own mind. And it is rather amusing that their name for themselves usually means mankind.
If the individuals who make up a group have personal egos, and their identities lie in these egos, then their egoic identities will shift to the group. It might look as if they are losing their personal egos, but the ego simply shifts to the group.
Exaggerated self-importance is deemed an individual fault, but a racial virtue.
The personal ego already has a strong element of dysfunction, but the collective ego is, frequently, even more dysfunctional, to the point of absolute insanity.
By far the greater part of violence that humans inflicted on each other is not the work of criminals or mentally deranged, but of normal, respectable citizens service of the collective ego. One can go so far as to say that on this planet "normal" equals insane. What is it that lies at the root of this insanity? Complete identification with thought and emotion, that is to say, ego.
Non-reaction to the ego in others is one of the most effective ways not only of going beyond ego in yourself but also of dissolving the collective human ego.
Even though we want huge individual egos, our collective ego is unbelievable.
God is the collective ego of the world
Each community has a curious and distorted image of itself which is always flattering.
