Very common is the act of person refusing to accept what is real in favor of whatever delusions they have made themselves comfortable with. Even when they run no risk of harm, many continue clinging onto their preconceived ideas until the bitter end—no harm except, of course, to their egos. And to many the ego is perhaps the most important thing of all, even if they won't admit or acknowledge that fact.

I've dealt with many people who do the intellectual equivalent of plugging their ears and repeating "BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH," much as a child would do, when confronted with a sound argument, example, or explanation. These people are difficult to deal with, but perhaps even more tough is getting through to one of them. In fact, while it is not the ideal solution, it is, at times, better to avoid them all together.

These people will claim that they have no ego; many will claim that you are the one with the ego. Their actions, and that they always turn everything into a "them vs. you" ordeal, say differently. And the ego can be a dangerous thing. The ego can turn even the most modest of men into a gloating buffoon who feels he can do no wrong, leading him to act stupidly and dangerously. The ego is a thing to be avoided.

It's necessary to not think of the ego and self-esteem/self-image as strictly the same thing, however. It is important for one to feel good about himself, but it is equally important for one to continually question his actions and motives. But the "do no wrong" attitude is not a healthy self-image. In fact, many of these hard to deal with, illogical argument constructing people have rather poor self-esteem, and cling to what they've come to accept as "right" in hopes of redeeming themselves.

These people are rather easy to spot. They will have trouble dealing with defeat or being proved wrong. When they engage in conversation, they will speak using many "Yeah, but"s, "You don't get it"s, "How do you know?"s, and, more bluntly, "You're wrong"s. They will construct illogical arguments based on fallacies, refuse to back up anything they say, and drag arguments on and on—and on. Luckily, many of these people seem rather unintelligent; however, you will sometimes come across someone who seems smart, and they are slightly more frustrating.

The most egotistical and delusional will probably be people you have to deal with on a regular basis. Tearing whatever it is they have to say to shreds one or two times will not be enough to make them "wake up." With any luck they will be steadily broken down, though, and this is a positive thing: More intelligent and sane people on this earth is positive for all of us. But there are those who will never be woken up; these people are best left ignored.

This isn't a guide on how to deal with imbeciles, or a rally-cry shouting for their destruction, but a word of precaution. If you are someone who has difficulty with failure, difficulty accepting criticism (no matter how constructive), or you are constantly trying to make things into battles so you can "win" them, you might be suffering ego. There is no need to make things into binary "me vs. you" issues, to deny help or reject advice, or to cling onto a self-image you might perceive as strong when it is evident there are weaknesses. And we all have weakness that we should try to strengthen—refusing to do so would be foolish.