The individual self could be likened to a hot air balloon. Each one is unique and colorful but inside the skin of the balloon there is nothing but hot air.
It is of course entertaining to inflate the individual self and have it bounce around in the sky, that’s part of the human journey — as long as the weather is good. But when the weather turns bad and the ego gets buffeted around and there’s a fear that it could crash, then we are happy to have our feet back on the ground again.
By turning to inner quiet we deflate the individual self and our most basic nature becomes more apparent and activated. And as we open to “what is”, there is a reintegration of our individual self with the vastness of Self and we become grounded in peace.