The grand illusion of the ego is that we are all completely different isolated entities. What really makes up our individual personality traits is a concept based on our life experiences and biases. What makes the difference, as far as spirituality goes is how much of our concept of self we are able to detach from. As we lose some of our sense of self, we begin to experience an understanding that all of God's creation is ultimately unified as a whole. We begin to feel a part of rather than apart from.