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.