Alone

The ego believes it is completely on its own, which is merely another way of describing how it thinks it originated.

This is such a fearful state that it can only turn to other egos and try to unite with them in a feeble attempt at identification, or attack them in an equally feeble show of strength.

It is not free, however, to open the premise to question, because the premise is its foundation. The ego is the mind's belief that it is completely on its own.

The ego's ceaseless attempts to gain the spirit's acknowledgment and thus establish its own existence are useless. 

Spirit in its knowledge is unaware of the ego.

 It does not attack it; it merely cannot conceive of it at all. While the ego is equally unaware of spirit, it does perceive itself as being rejected by something greater than itself.

This is why self-esteem in ego terms must be delusional.