Aham - the Self

Aham is a Sanskrit term which means "Self" or "I." 
Aham Brahmasmi from the Upanishads, relates to the Absolute Reality, I am the real, Brahman.

Aham also refers to ego. 
Positively, a real ego or Negatively, a false ego. 
The real ego helps to understand the Self spiritually.
The false ego leads to thinking of the Self materially, 

In the context of Aham Brahmasmi, the term is used positively - the real ego. 

Kara in Sanskrit means by hand, which is created, is material. Aham-kara, is ego created, by desire - the false ego.

Every single word, phrase, lesson, tree, bird, animal, everything possesses knowledge. 

It’s up to us to see it, learn, gracefully accept, and use it to the best of the society. 

It’s up to us to see the positive in everything and use it for good.

Shreemad Bhagwad Gita, Chapter 2, Verse 47
कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन। 
मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते संगोऽस्त्वकर्मणि॥
English Translation:
Your right is to the duty only, not to the fruits thereof.
Do not act for the results of your deeds. Never be attached to not doing the duty.

Krishna says do your Dharma. To do our Dharma, one need not become an ascetic and renounce the world and walk in the path of realsing God. Even if we are to do our daily chores with devotion and dedication, that in itself is Dharma which earns Karma, good Karma. He continues, don't expect returns. Doing our Dharma with conviction with bring its desired result, not what our Aham desires. 

In order to structure our living, we follow religion & it’s tenets; our scriptures such as the Vedas have concised this vast knowledge of the world and put it in a form for people can follow; if understood correctly, taught by a learned Guru, it sharpens the intellect, structures the mind and purifies it. A truly learned person is not affected by false ego, Ahamkara. What we get, we must share, positively, to make a difference. Otherwise what’s the purpose of having knowledge and not enhancing the intellect of another! Same goes to wealth - what we get, we must share; what we keep goes bare; when we share, with good intention, the joy multiples, especially when we do not bind the recipient to our directions and restrict the end-result. 

Learned people who had wronged like Ravana-Brahma or Hiranyakasipu, used their vast knowledge for selfish purposes, that would satisfy their Aham-kara, the false ego - and justified it by doing things which they thought was right, but it wasn’t so for the society. This led to their destruction. 

Aham, the egotistic false self and the desire it feeds, leads to destruction of not only the self, but also the society. 

The humanity is suffering due to agnana-ignorance and ahamkara - false ego.

Take the example of climate change! We cut a tree thinking it may trouble us. So does everyone else, resulting in disastrous consequences to the society and then on to the World! We destroy the little ecosystem it supports - the birds, animals, insects that are dependent on it. Everything in nature is inter-related. Trees hold water under ground, grow to give shade and fruits/flowers, suck pollution from the atmosphere created by humans, store it in them for ages; even after they are dead, after many ages turns to fossil fuel! Every type of tree/ plant/ shrub has a purpose. Similarly every human has a purpose, which one must realise and act accordingly to better the society. 

Every drop makes an ocean, every tree can become a forest, every human can become a saint! 

If we don’t cut, and advise another to not cut, then the climate would’ve been much better than now...

If we can realise the positive self, advise another to enhance their being, society would be much better than now....

Shreemad Bhagawad Geeta Chapter 4 Verse 39
श्रद्धावाल्लँभते ज्ञानं तत्परः संयतेंद्रियः। 
ज्ञानं लब्ध्वा परां शांतिमचिरेणाधिगच्छति॥ 
English Translation:
The faithful one, attentively focused, who has conquered the senses, achieves transcendental knowledge
and having achieved transcendental knowledge, quickly attains supreme peace.

Nature supports itself, when not destructed by others. There is no widespread aham in nature; in fact, largely, there is support, cooperation and coordination - that we will observe in another episode.