Being openly greedy is at least honest.

Being secretly proud of being “beyond greed” is more dangerous.

In the material world, ego shouts: “Look at my car, my job, my followers.”

In the spiritual world, ego whispers: “Look at my detachment, my calm, my depth, my vibes.”

Same game. Different costume.

In some ways, the second is worse. Because now the ego is hiding behind noble words.

The inner halo

Maybe you’ve experienced this.

You’re on a call with old friends. One talks about money. Another about career, status, astrology, numerology, whatever their current obsession is.

Outwardly, you listen. Nod. You’ve grown more patient. Less judgmental.

But somewhere inside, a little voice smirks:

“Look at them. Still stuck in these lower pursuits. And look at me, aspiring to ‘wholeness’, ‘truth’, ‘awakening’. How superior I am!”

Congratulations. You’ve just unlocked the “holier-than-thou” achievement.

No enlightenment badge needed.

Ambition in holy robes

Wanting to grow is natural.

Wanting to be seen as “higher” is something else.

The mind is cunning. It will happily give up worldly ambition and switch to spiritual ambition.

“I don’t care about money. I care about consciousness.”

Sounds noble. Feels good. Especially when you’re slightly ahead of your peers on this particular path.

The problem?

Any form of “I am above you” builds a wall.

And walls block the very connection and honesty that real growth needs.

A mirror test

Try this little test.

Think of someone you quietly look down on.

Maybe because of their lifestyle, beliefs, addictions, political choices, or their “unawakeness”.

Hold their image in your mind.

Now ask:

1. What exactly do I think I “see” that they don’t?
   Name it plainly. Don’t hide behind vague terms like “vibration” or “energy”.

2. What unpleasant part of me are they mirroring?
   Is it laziness? Fear? Need for approval? Desire for comfort? Are they simply living out something you’re also capable of but currently suppressing?

3. What would it do to my ego if they suddenly grew past me? Would you be sincerely thrilled for them? Or quietly threatened?

4. What if they are not behind or ahead — just on a different stretch of the river? How does that change the story?

All this is about softening the inner halo you’ve placed on your own head.

A small experiment for this week

For seven days, whenever you catch yourself judging someone as “less evolved”, add this sentence:

1. “I know nothing about their inner battle.” Say it gently, not as a cliché.

2. Then redirect the energy towards one honest question about yourself:

3. “What am I afraid to see in me right now?”

You will not become a doormat by doing this. You may, however, become more human.

Where we’re going next

The same tension shows up in another area: creativity and work.

Do you “burn out” heroically? Or fade away quietly? Is there a third way?

Time to walk into that territory.