“T-4.II.6. Only those who have a real and lastingsense of abundance can be truly charitable. This isobvious when you consider what is involved. Tothe ego, to give anything implies that you willhave to do without it. When you associate givingwith sacrifice, you give only because you believethat you are somehow getting something better,and can therefore do without the thing you give.“Giving to get” is an inescapable law of the ego, which always evaluates itself in relation to other egos. It is therefore continually preoccupied with the belief in scarcity that gave rise to it. Its whole perception of other egos as real is only an attempt to convince itself that it is real. “Self-esteem” in ego terms means nothing more than that the ego has deluded itself into accepting its reality, and is therefore temporarily less predatory. This “self-esteem” is always vulnerable to stress, a term which refers to any perceived threat to the ego’s existence.”