The ego is the self of a being, its “I”, the individuality. Ego and egoism are often confused. Egoism is a state of obsession with one’s own ego, when a person lives and acts for his / her own sake. Russian “radi” (translated as “for”, “for the sake of”) means joy, so what one lives for the sake of what brings him / her joy. An egoist enjoys living for himself. By contrast, an altruist enjoys living for the sake of something higher or someone higher than he is: alto — tall, true — truth, ist — is or Russian “istina”, truth.

The essence is the highest and eternal phenomenon, possessing consciousness and similar to the light, also emanating from a spot. The essence is inherent in the subtlest environment — Ether.