The I Inside (Part 1)

We all live our lives at a fast pace, finishing one scene and entering the next one after forgetting the first scene and sometimes carrying its memories into the second one. But have we wondered or stopped to ask ourselves what is our identity which we use to perform our actions one of our professions or roles or how we look or dress up or for that matter our gender or the country or caste to which we belong to? When we use the term self-identity, two words come to our mind – one is what we call self or me or I. The other is identifying with what i.e. I, the self, am identifying with what? Very often I am identifying with what I am not or what I seem to be but I am not in reality.

➥ The looks and the personality as well as the education are acquired but what I am really is what I am before I learn my education and shape up into the physical characteristics that I have. So we need to train ourselves from today to do is to start seeing ourselves in the mirror of spirituality and start observing the real I or me. This is the I that is invisible to the physical eyes but is the core of what we call ourselves – human beings. As in a coconut, the softer inner surface or the core or center is what gives us strength whereas the hard exterior is what is not eaten or is lesser important.

➥ People who are used to the common practice of seeing in the physical mirror before starting their day are reminded of so many physical characteristics mentioned above. As a result, they forget that behind the acquired exterior is a non-visible interior that also requires cleaning up and being dressed up. This is because that is what comes into contact with people’s hearts – people whom we meet every day.

➥ Also, it is the inner face that will impress people after they have temporarily been impressed by the clothes we wear and how we look. After all, it is the smile that is more important than the shirt. What use is a good-looking suit if the person wearing the suit is egoistic and jealousy filled? Living life in the essence of the inner self is a way of reaching out to others with love and compassion and remaining content yourself also.

(To be continued tomorrow …)