The ego is how they keep you here.
Main points:
The ego is an autonomous program that keeps your soul bound to your physical body. There exists a mechanism that re-routes your soul back to your body constantly, throughout your lifetime.
Sleep is involved in the maintenance of this connection. If you go without sleep for long enough, the constituent parts of you will separate as the ego can no longer maintain the bond.
When engineers and scientists talk about trying to give robots a 'soul', what they really mean is trying to give robots an ego.
This also explains the phenomenon of hylics, or NPCs, and how they exist. The ego is present in them, so daily activities can be performed, but there is no inner state, which usually interacts through the ego, what we describe as self-awareness or sentient life.
Same with animals, they have ego, they have personality, just no self. In some rare cases, there is a self present, but that is a discussion for another day.
Part two:
The ego has metaphysical components that are poorly understood. Most of the meta-abilities and 'siddhis' are elements of higher ego development.
Be cautious of anyone selling you the fact they can develop your 'spiritual progress' with new abilities. Many seekers have fallen deeper into ego traps through this advancement of their inner mechanics or occult practices. Another discussion for another time.
When people talk about wanting to live in the afterlife, really that's the ego program directly expressing its desire for post-separation continuity.
Ever think about how your soul is bound to the astral body? I'll give you three guesses, but you should only need one.
If someone ever describes their intuition, or a divine guide, as a voice in their head that speaks to them, it's most likely an ego program. Not that they can't be helpful or guide you in a desired direction, but just know them for what they are. Autonomous agents often with their own agendas.
The most frustrating stage will be when you are earnestly trying to overcome the ego, and the program subtly hijacks your desire for freedom and liberation in order to strengthen itself. It's a paradox and a mind bender to try and free yourself using the same mechanism that bound you in the first place. You will do this without even realizing it.
Finally, anyone suffering from intrusive thoughts should research this topic and accept it as your new mental model. Knowing that most of your thoughts and desires are not your own is tremendously liberating and has the potential to save your life. The real one.
Edit: Due to the semantic confusions, I am compelled to restate my definitions, and to clarify my position.
Functional Definition: The interface or program through which the soul engages with the material world, shaping internal experiences, cognition, and meta-abilities.
Common Definition: The mediator between instincts, willpower, and external reality, shaping desires and personality traits (Freudian interpretation).
Alternative labels I will be using from now on: Operator, Avatar, Interface and/or Conduit.
For the more spicier interpretations, we can include daemons, sutratman, nafs, ka, and others but this is a follow up thread I'd like to write in the near future. Was keeping it surface level before diving into deeper waters.
Thanks for your contributions.