Regardless of our Ego and Soul type, every one of us longs for affirmation. Without it, we cannot see our strengths, our contributions, or the impact we have on others. Yet some people appear not to need validation at all. They move through life in a closed system, seemingly untouched by others’ opinions or affections. However, in truth, most of us, from our first breath, need affirmation as profoundly as we need air.

A few weeks ago, we were driving on the interstate when suddenly a plume of black smoke rose high into the air just ahead. Had a bomb exploded? Had a gasoline truck burst into flames? Within moments, the busy highway became a parking lot.

We long to accomplish something, but our ego tells us a story of why we cannot.

We dream of making something beautiful come true, but our ego insists we lack the capacity.

We yearn to speak our truth, yet our ego warns that the repercussions would be unbearable.

We desire to live vulnerably and authentically, but the ego insists we be impenetrable.

We want freedom from our dependencies, yet the ego whispers that we cannot live without them.

We hunger for more meaning in life, but our ego says to be content with what is.

Oppression, dehumanization, genocide, and persecution have brought humanity to its lowest forms. Imagine being so stripped of hope that you would dig a hole in the earth and wait there to die. Such despair was absolute for many in history’s darkest hours.

Evagrius of Pontus, one of the Desert Fathers and Mothers, wrote the first known commentary on the eight major types of sins he referred to as “evil thoughts” (logismoia) in the 300s AD. But there was a ninth sin he wrote about, which is the parent of all the others— and it is love of self (philautia.) These nine thoughts were eventually reduced in number by Pope Gregory to be known as “the Seven Deadly Sins.”

Although the soul is never truly untethered from the Divine, it can feel disconnected from God, lost in darkness, wounded, and without the fire of love.

If we are not well physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually, the quality of our lives diminishes. Illness, injury, and hardship may come to everyone, but when they arise from self-neglect, we must bear the major responsibility. Caring for our bodies, minds, hearts, and souls is not self-indulgence or drudgery. It is sacred stewardship.