Edit: I also want to point out, for those who don't know, that the broader concept of "ego" isn't the same as the colloquial usage, which tends to just mean "narcissism". The ego is the very idea of yourself as an individual, distinct from the world, with your own interests and goals and story. Some amount of this mindset is necessary for being a functioning person. But many people, especially in western cultures, have an over-inflated ego, even if it doesn't manifest as arrogance or blatant selfishness: we all care very much about our individual success compared to others in one way or another. Even insecurity and low self-esteem and identity crises come from the ego, because they're concerned with selfhood and the state of our selfhood. I think it often does us more harm than good.

I don’t meditate very regularly, but I try to think of it as a brief vacation from thinking. My mind is “thinking” all the time, from the moment I wake up until the moment I fall asleep, one thought after another without stopping. I’ve found that viewing meditation as a chance to take a break from that helps.

It really does depend.

There are people go by without ever questioning their wants, and never take responsibility for their own emotions in the most basic ways. They make every single one of their upsets someone else's responsibility and they come in hourly.

They aren't that many and they're easy to recognize when you've been burned by one though. They would also do everyone a big favor by embracing this advice.

On the other end are people who are driven to reduce their needs and scope as a response to pretty much anything. They'll be less of a hassle to others but advising them to reach harder for their familiar crutch is a disservice to them, and also their loved ones; neglect of others can be the the natural result of neglecting oneself. We don't do well with this advice.

This is also why people who administer DMT on themselves respond to it in very different ways - primarily due to their mental history and vulnerabilities.