Who am I?

The search for ‘who am I?’ is like a process of elimination. Metaphorically, that is. When we finally muster up the courage to ask ourselves this question, in order to find that out, it helps to identify who we are not. Here are some. Feel free to add more.

• We are not our stories.
• We are not our job.
• We are not our money.
• We are not our possessions.
• We are not our social status.
• We are not our education.
• We are not our relationships.
• We are not our children.
• We are not our beliefs.
• We are not our values.
• We are not our expectations.
• We are not our past.
• We are not our roles.
• We are not our behaviour.
• We are not our thoughts.
• We are not our emotions.
• We are not our strengths.
• We are not our weaknesses.
• We are not our judgments.
• We are not our bodies.
• We are not our hearts.
• We are not our minds.
• We are not our soul.
• We are not even our spirit…

We experience these things. They are things. Not who we are. They may enhance the experience of life, or they may detract from it, but they are not who we are, and just because these things are not who we are does not mean that we must be rid of them. On the contrary, we are meant to master all the things that we are not. We are meant to take charge of them and manage them appropriately. This is what spiritual teachers mean when they talk about detachment. When we separate ourselves from what we are not, and then learn to master those things, we will find ourselves united with who we really are.