<BI> - One can only truly grow, when Ego has been acknowledged.

Then let the debate-off - BEGIN! :) I will start with what I have read from your response, and will then move to my side of the argument. I would like to begin with saying that all of the traits you have listed here, are all beneficial to a humans' growth - Unless in extremes - as you say. Pride : It is good be proud of what one achieves, for you have done it. To focus on the achievement to oblivion is no longer one being prideful, but egotistic - as in they base themselves in tasks completed, with no intention of growing - i.e. "Living in the moment". Wrath : It is good to feel anger, It means you care. Like all negative emotions, it has its time and place, again - an overtly angry person is not a person at all, but a beast who can sometimes talk well. Gluttony - Food is the source of life - Take too much of the source, and one will Die. Gluttony is not a trait in the fact that one does not have this 'vice' before an abundance of food is available - it is a decision someone must make to keep on eating, past respite. Sloth - We have been drilled about not wasting a single second of life - and that any form of 'sloth' is a waste of a human, therefore this is a 'sin' - I do not hold credence to this as a vice - as it is simply someone who has chosen their activities to leisure - Any choice to do literally nothing and be a "sloth" - is that persons choice. Greed : Greed can be boiled to both good and bad : Good : Make one wish for more than they have, Entice for one to move forward to satisfy their greed Bad: To hoard what has been gathered, and will not release for any reason at all (Why it is a Sin) It has good in it, along with the bad - It is only considered a Sin, because holding onto your possessions is logical to a human society, but taking and hoarding these things so you have it, and no one else does is the gateway to negative repercussions (Someone stealing the item), or negative steps taken to stop those repercussions (Paranoia to ensure safety of ownership). Envy - Envy is a great motivator in the fact that one may wish to have the fortunes of others - This is a great drive to improve your job, to work out, to make active contributions to gain the reward that caught your eye in the first place - it is a great initiator for motivation. If someone chooses to steal to get their rewards - that again is their choice, and is the only reason Envy is considered a Cardinal Sin. As you can see with the above, each of them have a good point to them; However I would class these as more of a 'blocker' for society, than personal growth - A gluttonous man would certainly be growing in one aspect, for example! I still maintain that Ego is the greatest blocker each individual must face this day - I will give you as many angles as I can fit to show you, that good, negative, and all the gray areas - Ego is the "boss-fight" one must face to complete their tasks. The Good : Some people use their Ego, they use it to drive themselves to a perceived greatness - Just watch any superhero movie, Action thriller, Adventure - Basically anything with a 'Bad Guy' in it. The 'Bad Guy' usually has some great plan that they have striven to achieve - They usually must undergo intense training, figure out some equations to make their evil device, or just to defeat their 'Nemesis'. All of these things have happened due to Ego being used - Which is a good thing, they have grown personally; Either intellectually, physically - or in some shows, genetically! However, their Ego has also blinded them, they probably know they are a bit of an egocentric, and that they have resolved this by 'using' ego to make them better, however they don't stop to look around and actually think the whole plan out. In this scenario, the 'Bad guy' usually has some outrageous plan, like to blow up the moon, or take over the world. Each of these things are fundamentally flawed - Once this impossible task is achieved, then what? If he takes over the world, do you honestly think Dr. Mad Scientist is the best world ruler? Will he be unopposed once he ascends to the throne? Will the earth still be inhabitable after he has destroyed the moon, because he didn't receive his "1 hundred, Million, Billion Dollars!" Their ego to the task, has blinded them to the consequence - Inevitable they will lose one way or another - Either by the hero of the show, or by a little re-enactment of Caesar and Brutus ("Ouch, my Back!"). Ego has blinded one to obvious truth. The Bad : Some people have shied away from Ego, believing it to be a deplorable trait. These people are usually quiet, considerate, and will never rock the boat. By them denying Ego, they deny their life the potential to improve, they would much rather keep things as they are, and just stay 'safe'. This is the true travesty of the world, in my opinion. Each human should strive to be the best they can potentially be, how else as a species can we continue to improve in the leaps and bounds already apparent to us at this moment - For example, I am able to express my opinion too you from my country (Aus) - to wherever you are in this glorious world of ours. That is our potential when we aren't even trying! Gray : Some people are driven by their perception of their ego, they walk around in a constant state of defensiveness - They never say a word on what they are thinking, act as if they are not driven by Ego - however each assertion that goes against their wish, or their own belief, are viciously and aggressively shot down (I put my hand up for this category, though I was not aggressive) - These people are usually pretty smart, and use their knowledge and experience to ensure that they are always covered, and try and spin their arguments into some logical fallacy that diverts the point of the original argument. This is another Travesty, in my opinion. When one does not actively acknowledge their Ego, and acknowledge how beneficial it is; When one is aware of it at all times, will one be able to grow unhindered. I have seen people grow regardless of their acknowledgement to their Ego - however this growth is always perverted, and at the slightest breath of resistance, usually falls back down to their base reaction (Good, Bad or Gray) - And I have seen this cycle countless times. Each person must learn to accept that they are not always right - and be prepared for when that comes, so they can use the opportunity to learn - the only logical response to being wrong; cut your losses and build from what is left over - i.e. knowledge. If people stopped becoming aggressive when wrong, they could utilize the knowledge that is readily, (The person who has let them know that they were wrong), available to correct themselves and better their own understanding. The above is why I believe Ego is the biggest 'blocker', and my position remains unchanged. I urge to you prove me wrong, not so that you are right, but so I can learn.