from radiohead.com a long time ago:

"This self (ego) spends much of its time trying to establish personal territory, a nest, or cocoon, to defend. It generally imagines itself as vulnerable, rather than robust. It files damage done to its vanity, and periodically audits the files. It re-heats the past, making a mile out of an inch: a small perceived wound becomes cause for war. It is subject to incessant hope and fear. It goes on interesting forays into the future. It builds itself up and its main activity is daydreaming.

Ego constantly fears boredom and so cooks up entertainments and 'obscurations' (kleshas) - passion, aggression, ignorance, which can also be seen as deformations of space, means by which we either foreshorten the distance between ourselves and others (passion) or extend it.

Neurosis, unreality and confusion are not special subjects,

but the ordinary human condition.

- going buddhist peter j conradi