Tuesday, October 26, 2021
“Who am I?” I wish I could answer this question, but I cannot. However, I can tell you who you are not! You are not what changes, what dissolves, or what you possess. You are not your body. Your body is a changing heap of cells, regenerating every 7 years. You are not a mind. The mind is a record of the past, an accumulation of data. If you lost your memory, does that mean that you are not you anymore? You are not your history. When you die, so will the historical record that you keep with you in you head. You are not your possessions – you can’t take those with you, either. You are not your name – that’s just a label, and others are likely to have the same. You are not your emotions – those come and go. You are not your personality, that’s just a physical, identifiable trait of your expression in the world.
The constructed “I,” the egoistic concept of who you think you are, is not the same as the being, the “I AM.” But not even your experiences are you. If we humans create an identity that is intertwined in beliefs, stories, concepts, and things, life can be confusing. If who you are is muddled with things that are clearly not you, when they are taken away or change, you will suffer tremendously. Remember, everything that is not you is ephemeral. If it’s temporary, then let it go, set it aside. It’s OK to appreciate it while you have it, but don’t hold on so tightly that you haven’t a clue who you are anymore. Create a healthy distance from your possessions, your beliefs, your worldly identity (mom, co-worker, neighbor, etc.), your history, and so on. Instead, honor and pay attention to what is you. Words and concepts fall short in defining who you are. But eliminating all of the noise and clutter that isn’t you, is a step in the right direction!