Suppose we step back, use the imagination, and see the “Ego, the Crowd and the Individual” as “The Companions”- intelligent characters that are part of a single living organism or energy field attached to us. Because we humans are born with the faculty of awareness, we desire to go further, and we recognise that to understand the dispositions of this particular group of “companions” will help through learning from them, about them, and most of all, how they want “awareness” to see them.

The fact is that we are already in dialogue with them, because we have begun that journey with these companions as babies when we recognised ourselves in the mirror, made faces at the reflection and began our innocent journey of higher- more conceited awareness, also awakening into awareness the cautioning balancing inner voice of ‘Principles’ primitive, but assertive enough to say no with a gesture to what baby doesn’t like. Our self-awareness has always debated one or the other of these companions that with time, we come to understand that they each have an agenda, and can easily take you onto extremes if you surrender and follow heedlessly after deserting the balance of principles and its assuring tenets of trust.

One of the unique gifts that come with self-awareness is the ability to question or reason on everything, most times privately, to feel the vibe and explore the vibe. But the companions have been around longer. They probably were the first to witness the cosmic cooling that was the cradle for all that is said to have been brought together as being- ‘Created’ or as argued ‘Evolved.’

Recently, I listened attentively as a Stabroek market Water Street vender argued with others on the guilt of the responsibility of parents for the directions that children take. In fact, I paused for the moment as he asked his companions- “ Ninety percent of parents does try fuh give deh children de best deh could afford, and instead deh turn out to be drug dealer, junkie, whore and dishonest wid-out conscience, sometimes, even against deh own parents, is wuh mek duh happen?” Some of us have indeed witnessed some of those actions, beginning with our families and relatives. On more than one occasion, I can credit dominance by one or the other of the companions to painful domestic or public actions. Therefore, our very awareness is the best record to define the Companions. Now here I go, to use the human gift of symbolic language to create a mythical realm governed by the unique trinity of our discussion, beginning with the ego to enter this space of admiration and praise. All else are adoring subjects, an act of disagreement is a violation. Before the ‘inflated throne’ of the Egotist, a questioning expression, a restrained applause, signals an enemy, rather than an engagement of ideas or opinions, even if you are unjustly dismissed, you ought to know your place. But then, there are many frailties concealed beneath the crown of the egotist’ we all have an ego. We must have, to pursue goals and envision success at the end of hard work. It is the balance of this inner self with ‘principles’ that is important.

Next comes The Crowd. You live in a social environment that has laws that say believe in this or that. To belong; to be at one with the Street, the Village or the Nation, that implies who are sacred without saying it, who is above the rules and beyond without anyone’s agreement, and you live in it, and again must seek balance. For the rules of the crowd didn’t just happen, it has roots, and origins of the roots, based on past experiences, and present recurring similarities.

But it is not all that there is, a quiet voice whispers a path forward; there, is the Individual seeping into the pool of the Crowd to offer an interpretation to not deny anything of what is, but to understand and undo probable lapses of self-responsibility, towards readjusting and correcting the origin of the roots, with a new and great task that requires an understanding of how the ‘Origins’ were formed, that created the roots of the doctrines of the Crowd.

The individual of change must ascend from the Crowd to empathise with the balance of the failings and the positive attributes of the ‘Crowd’ for within the Crowd there is the ‘Egotist’, and the deceiving ‘Individual.’ But the balanced Individual that steps onto the stage must understand “By your works shall a man be known” . Therefore, as we mould those who desire to learn, they must understand ‘The Companions’ , especially in our world of social media influences, and the spellbinding idols that seek to replace the balance between extremes with a logic that was frowned upon, only yesterday; but is described today, as “ Duh’s how it going now” but the essence of change however lies, with the age old reality, saving grace and creed of ‘Principles’ that belong to the quiet voice that whispers, understand and redeem.

This article is part of a script -IPR