Whom do you consider yourself to be? Are you defined by your work, your role in your family or perhaps by your talents or interest? I am a psychologist, I am a mother, daughter, sister and wife. I like to paint and write and I make pretty kick-ass jam. But is this who I am? Are these labels my true essence, are they even pointing in the direction of my true essence? And what the heck is my true essence?

If I lost the ability to paint, would I still be me? Yes. If I lost a family member, would I still be me? Yes. If I lost a leg, would I still be me? Well, yes. How many labels can you peel off before you are no longer you? Maybe the labels are only signposts to get some sort of definition of who I am when separated from the concept of you. If all our signposts fall away, then logically there would be no distinction between me and you. Biologically, chemically and physically, we are also made up of the same stuff. The same atoms and molecules circulate through all of us.

What is then our true essence? What makes us into these different puddles of consciousness and expression of life?

Originally posted on the 13th of October 2022.