I-awareness

The following paragraph is from Dr. Asher Eder’s book The Star of David, which was published in 1987 in English in Jerusalem by Rubin Mass Ltd. The publication here is courtesy of Oren Mass

Should this Ego- or I-awareness then be a double-edged gift? Like all other forms, the Ego- or I-awareness as a special form of our feeling and thinking also has its borders and fences. These, in turn, entail separation. We feel separated from one another, and even from God our Creator. Feeling separated causes fears and yearning, yearning first for our parent's love; then for a life partner; for some form of unity in groups, nations, Mankind; and a yearning for God .
This feeling of separation is an outcome of our being created in God's image which, however, is but the base, or starting point in our journey towards God's likeness. The latter we can never fully achieve, since God is infinite, and thus always 'beyond'. It is for this reason that ancient religions stress the importance of the way, as Judaism in its Halahah (literally Way), the early Christians (known as "followers of the Way"); or the Chinese Tao.
Striving for success is more often than not propelled by the yearning to be recognized and loved. Disappointments in these struggles may lead to feelings of guilt, anger, envy and depression.
Thus, it turns out that this seemingly double-edged gift of Ego is meant to face us with a constant challenge: our ongoing decision as to which of the two above alternatives will dominate our lives: the spirit of fear and carnal drives, or the spirit of the Divine attributes. God as the "God of spirits of all flesh" (Numbers 27:16) asks us constantly "Adam, where are you?", and rewards us accordingly. As a help and guide on our way, we were given the Torah, literally the Divine Instruction, which tells us about the "breathing of the breath of Life" into our nostrils.