The 'self' is closely associated with 'bad' and 'sin'.

The ego often changes depending on the stage of life, circumstances, environment, and position of each individual. The ego is personality, the inherent nature of each person that distinguishes one from another. However, each person can recognize this and adjust it accordingly.

In society, there are people with an inferiority complex, who are timid and submissive in their interactions with others. They see themselves as limited, unattractive, inflexible, and less talented than others; they doubt their true worth. They fail to see their own value, easily become pessimistic, and are easily hurt. Those who are immersed in inferiority complexes, dissatisfied with themselves, and lacking in cheerfulness and openness towards others will significantly hinder their work performance.

People who are consumed by low self-esteem and inferiority complexes will be severely limited in their work performance. (Illustration: Source material)

Among our cadres, those who harmoniously combine their small individual selves with the larger collective good are highly commendable. They are exemplary, pioneering cadres who dare to innovate, dare to think, dare to act, and dare to take responsibility. They are always creative, finding new directions and methods, always placing the interests of the collective and the whole above the interests of their department or themselves. They resolutely change and eliminate bureaucratic, authoritarian, and dictatorial styles, "pointing fingers," and "in-office, cold-room" practices to excellently fulfill the tasks assigned by the Party and the State. When they succeed, it is the success of a collective with strong unity; if they fail, they are open to listening, correcting, overcoming, and are ready to take personal responsibility before the organization and the law. They are the "servants," the "public servants" of the people, who know how to put the common interests of the country, locality, and unit above all else, and harmoniously resolve the conflict between personal and collective interests.

However, there are still those—especially those holding a certain position in their locality or unit—and opportunists who are always obsequious, flattering, and self-important. They are arrogant, deluded, and self-delusional, believing themselves to be superior and all-knowing. They disregard, or even refuse to acknowledge, the opinions of others. They brazenly violate the principle of democratic centralism, disregard discipline, and consider themselves "exceptions," superiors, and experienced. When successful, they become boastful and arrogant, thinking they accomplished everything. When they fail, they justify their actions, try to blame circumstances, and even ridiculously shift responsibility to others or other departments.

As a person climbs the ladder of success, the ego they carry on their shoulders becomes heavier. Therefore, while an ordinary person might openly and receptively accept opinions different from their own, superiors often become very uncomfortable, even "unacceptable." It is this excessively large ego that imprisons them in their own arrogance and self-satisfaction.

Many people are trapped by their inflated egos, trapped in arrogance and self-satisfaction. (Illustration: Archival material)

In practice, there are many cases of wrongdoing in various fields, from the central to local levels, directly related to violations of the principle of democratic centralism, or a lack of responsibility, lax leadership, management, and direction, or authoritarianism, arbitrariness, and a lack of democracy. They propose policies and make decisions that are clearly wrong but are carried out because they benefit their own department or individual. Some policies and decisions are seriously flawed, causing huge losses of state and people's assets, creating public outrage, and negatively impacting the prestige of the Party and the State. This is the consequence of those in positions of power who have become corrupt and degenerate.

Among the officials who made mistakes, many were once famous figures, who had lectured others, giving advice and praise, and receiving high praise. Only when these cases were brought to light did the "hidden aspects" become apparent: the recklessness, disregard for the law, and defiance of principles in the leadership of these individuals in their positions. Many officials in positions of power created "backdoors," employing various schemes to manipulate and profit. They abused their power for personal and family gain. They used their power to prioritize their personal interests over the interests of the people and the collective.

President Ho Chi Minh once clearly stated: "Collective leadership is democracy. Individual responsibility is democratic centralism," and he explained: "Why is collective leadership necessary? Because one person, no matter how wise, talented, or experienced, can only see and consider one or more aspects of a problem; they cannot see and consider all aspects of a problem. Therefore, many people are needed. Many people mean many experiences. Some see one aspect clearly, others see another. By combining the experience and consideration of many people, the problem is seen from all sides. And only when all aspects are seen clearly can the problem be solved thoroughly and without error."

Each person's life is finite. We must constantly strive to improve ourselves, finding a harmonious balance between our ego and our collective self. Don't let your ego become something bad, leading to sin!