Monday, August 25, 2008

Who Am I?

I am a son.
I am a brother.
I am a husband.
I am a dad.
I am a musician.
I am an American.
I am a cigar smoker.
I am a beer drinker.
I am a bicyclist.
I am a college graduate.
I am an employee.
I am a co-worker.
I am a neighbor.
I am a friend.
I am a seeker.

One day all that I think I am will cease to be. The boxes that I put myself in will disintegrate like wet cardboard. My five senses, in which I put so much trust, will fade away. My nationality, my likes and dislikes, my habits, my education, my belief systems, my relationships and my titles will mean nothing. The world will disappear. Who am I then?

In that moment, as my ego dies, I will exist stripped of all that I think I am and find that...

I AM.

Who are you?

7 comments:

Unknown said...

Confident, hopeful, faithful, eager, loving, intelligent, peaceful, IRIE

Brian - NZ said...

Beautiful, very well said. I'll join along with you - and hopefully with many others.

Brian - NZ said...

Just an after-thought Roger.
.
Perhaps we should keep the cigars?

Roger said...

Brian,

I'd keep the beer too....preferably oatmeal stout!

Unknown said...

I'd like your ego to live on. I like who you are. I hope that someday we lose the things that make us hurt each other. I hope we don't loose who we are. What would existence without relationship be worth?

Homebrewer

Roger said...

Perhaps we are viewing the ego differently. I'm talking of the Buddhist view rather than the Fruedian view. I'll try to explaini in my next post. For my own benefit...

Roger said...

Homebrewer,

Perhaps the ego is what makes us hurt each other and that separateness, or lack of relationship is the illusion that the ego perpetuates.

Perhaps we don't lose who we are but find out that we are in more of a relationship with everything and everyone than we think....