What is the ego? Part 1.

An ego we have, we are; its existence is inescapable if the cosmic thought is to be activated and the human evolution in it is to develop. Why has it become, then, a source of evil, friction, suffering, and horror? The energy and instinct, the intelligence and desire which are contained in each individualized fragment of consciousness, each compound "i" are not originally evil in themselves; but when the clinging to them becomes extreme, selfishness becomes strong.

From Perspectives - The Timeless Way of Wisdom. Teh Notebooks Of Paul Brunton.