Drop The Ego: Theme From RED

"My ego is nervous. Anxious. Guilty. My ego is red."-Peyton Hayley Giordano (RED)

So the last time I focused on the theme of mistakes and how we all have our favorite ones to make. I ended it by stating we can learn from those mistakes and start over if we learn to drop our egos. I'm sticking to that statement!

The concept of the ego, superego, and id is a major focus within the novel, RED. In fact, I based the entire book on Sigmund Freud's theory of the id, ego, and superego (so look out for all the symbolism!). It's always been something that fascinated me because I've always believed we all have some good, bad, and a little better in us. My characters are no different.

During specific parts of the novel you'll witness my main characters following the devil on their shoulder, listening to the angel, and sometimes just following exactly who they are. It's troubling and will make you want to pull your hair out if you get too into it. But isn't that life? 

The ego can be a good thing or it can be the worst thing for us. As Freud believes, our ego is who we are and we can't necessarily change that all the time; we can just give into our superego (the better version of us) or the id (that very naughty part) from time to time. During the novel, the main character Peyton is trying to find herself while constantly trying to be a better person (although it fails majority of the time). The process is long and even feels a lot like suffering but she's on a journey to learn how to be better.

I believe a lot of us are on that same journey. One thing we don't understand is that sometimes we have to drop who we are (our egos) in order to be better. Sometimes we have to follow who we think we are or want to be (our superego) in order to see a difference. It's hard but it's reality. This is something Peyton is going to struggle with for much of the novel.

We make countless mistakes and try to fix them but ti always falls through. it's because we didn't learn how to drop the ego. There are times you have to ask yourself, "what would I do?" and then do the opposite. We're not always right and we're not as great as we think we are sometimes. We all strive to be that superego, or in fact, many of us believe we already are our superegos which is why we fail to change or acknowledge that we're wrong. 

I'm not saying who you are isn't good enough, I'm just saying we all need to recognize when who we are isn't good enough so we can follow or try something different. No one is perfect one hundred percent of the time. We often need help and different perspectives to make things right. We can't do that if we only follow our ego. 

Whether your ego is big or small, you just have to remember that sometimes you have to alter the usual things you would do in order to make it. Trust me, I know it's hard. How do you make a decision that's not like you? It's the only thing you know how to do! You've been you your whole life! Well, it's not an impossible task. There are times we have to tell ourselves, "okay, it's time to drop the ego and suck it up!" if we want to see a change. There's no getting better without making mistakes and dropping the ego. How else do you expect to forgive yourself and others around you? Hmmmm, forgiveness...that sounds like another major theme in RED.

While there are times to drop the ego, there are also times when we should serve the ego as well. Just listen to Jewel in the video below...