How our inflated sense of self is shrinking our world   SYED TAQDEES In our conversations, our politics, our homes, even in our prayers, one quiet force keeps working from behind the curtain: ego. It does not shout, it rarely introduces itself, but it is there offended when we are not praised, restless when we are not obeyed, bitter when we are not recognised. We often blame circumstances, systems, or other people for the unease in our lives, but seldom do we pause to ask: how much of my suffering is simply the noise of my own ego?