We wake up into life with the incurable sense that we’re special, that we’re the centre of the universe.
And, subjectively, we are. In our awareness we’re the centre of the universe and life does revolve around us. Our own being is what’s most real to us. As Descartes famously said, the only thing that we know for sure is real is our own selves: “I think, therefore I am.” We may be dreaming everything else.
Spirituality has perennially judged this negatively. Egocentricity – feelings of grandiosity, self-centredness and pride – were seen as the result of the corruption of human nature through Original Sin.
