Who are you?
We often think of ourselves as the things we do, our job, or the roles we play; Mother, father, teacher, sister, brother, the type of work we do (or don’t do), a retired person …
We think we are our history and what happened to us.
We think we are our genetic makeup.
We think we are our opinions. I like vanilla ice cream. I don’t like cabbage.
We think we are our political party.
We think we are our body.
We think we are our age.
We think we are our socioeconomic status.
We think we are our current feeling state: happy, sad, angry, grateful, despondent …
But what if who we are isn’t any of those things?
What if who you are is wisdom itself: the formless, creative energy of all life.
Temporarily housed in a wonderful human body, connected to everyone and everything in the universe.
Whole and perfect. Unchanging. Always.
All the different forms we see in the world and universe are made of the same formless, wise, infinite energy showing up in different disguises.
What if nothing, no experience in life, can diminish or enhance you? Because who you are at your core is eternal and immutable.
Wouldn’t that be wonderful news?
Seems to me that all suffering in life comes from innocently misunderstanding who we are.
When we think who we are is associated with the forms and beliefs like the ones I listed above, and then those things change or appear not to be going well – people don’t respect our opinion, or we’re not in the ‘right’ feeling, then it looks like we can be diminished by those experiences.
Or on the flip side, if all those things seem to be going well, people agree with us, and we are in the ‘right’ feeling then it looks like we are enhanced by those experiences.
But what if it never worked that way?
What if your TRUE NATURE, the wisdom that you ARE isn’t ever on the line? It can’t be damaged.
What I’ve seen is that when I remember who I really am, engaging in life and different roles becomes significantly more enjoyable and richer, because I KNOW my wellbeing isn’t attached to a specific outcome. I can just allow myself to BE. Knowing that the wisdom of life we all arise from is ever flowing and present moment to moment no matter what we are facing.
Seek without seeking, for
what you hope to attain is
already within you.
~ Sydney Banks, The Missing Link
Hey Linda,
That’s very powerful what you are saying about wisdom. Just yesterday I almost got a rental truck stuck in a garage because Garage height is 7’-9” and the truck is 7’-8”. I knew this but I still tried it anyway. After I started hitting lights hanging from the garage ceiling and making them sway back and forth I realized this endeavor was a very bad idea. Hoping to rectify this situation I drove very slowly to the exit of garage. Every bump was a harrowing experience because I didn’t get the insurance for the rental. I couldn’t even tell if I was scraping the roof of the van because my two sons and I were laughing too loud. I feel blessed that my guardian angel got me out of yet another tight spot. A tell this story because because I get myself into situations like this on a daily basis. I’m not very wise, so is there another trait I can rely on for inner peace? Wisdom is not my greatest strength. As a matter of fact it’s possibly my weakest attribute. I’ve already tried to get wiser by reading hardcover books and going to the libary and such. It ain’t working. Please advise.
Patrick!! Ha! I wouldn’t worry about working on becoming wiser – your ability to laugh and not take yourself too seriously, I’d say, IS the highest order of wisdom.;)
Thanks for stopping by, so fun to read your note. Hope you and your family are doing well – sounds like you are. <3