I am not a Republican. I am not a Democrat. I’m not an Independent. Nor a liberal or conservative.
I am not a citizen of the United States. Nor am I a citizen of any other country.
I’m not a patriot or anti U.S. or pro country or pro borders. I am not an agnostic or associated with any religion. I am not atheist, nor am I God fearing.
I am not my work.
I am not a man or a woman or somewhere in between.
I am not a Homo sapien. I am not human.
How many social media profiles have we read that say something like, “Husband, father, coffee fanatic, marketing coach?”
How many times have we been asked at a social event, “What do you do?” As though our work defines who we are.
The movement of a growing number of people identifying as non-binary or non-gender-conforming flows from a desire to shed traditional identities. And yet they are seeking to shed identity by replacing it with a “non” identity. But they are not a “non.” They are something indeed. But what are they? What are we?
Are we human? Are we man or woman, or trans?
My marriage to Maria is a huge part of my life, but am I a husband? Is Maria a wife? Are we a married couple? Or are all our identities simple monikers that place us in boxes — sizing us down into something tangible and discernible?
The less I attach myself to identities the more I feel like my true self.
Maria and I have a business where we offer brand strategy and design services. But do I call myself a brand strategist? Somehow that feels small to me. I don’t mean small in the sense that it’s not prestigious enough. I could call myself a co-founder, which would be accurate, as Maria and I founded the business together. But isn’t that just a little bit silly? It’s a business of just two people. Who else would have founded it?
I could call myself the CEO, which stands for chief executive officer. That would be even more silly, because who would I be an executive over. There are no employees. We work virtually, so there are no formal offices. Our place of business is wherever we are at the moment.
I could go back to school to obtain more degrees and place some impressive sounding letters after my name. But this still feels rather small to me. Again, not small in the sense of not being all that and a bag of chips, but small in the sense that it doesn’t come close to defining who I am. And your titles and accomplishments do not come close to defining the truth of who you are.
But who are we?
Quantum physics has demonstrated quite thoroughly that all matter is energy. Which means the physical Universe that we find ourselves housed within is not what it appears. Matter is a form of energy slowed down to take the shape of physical form.
I love this Carl Sagan quote, “If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe.” The point being that to make anything from scratch — in other words to create something of physical form — you first need to create the substrate of physical form. In other words, the construct of the Universe.
So, if we inhabit physical bodies, and our bodies are constructed of the substrate of the Universe (which is light) then our bodies, indeed our physical lives, are but mere illusions.
The whole Trump phenomena is quite fascinating. If we think about the absurdity of it, it baffles the mind as to why so many people are willing to follow him to the edge of the earth. But if we understand the power of identity then it makes perfect sense. If a person does not feel substantial enough in their present identity, if they don’t feel validated or worthwhile, and someone comes along who offers them a few simple steps to an identity that elevates them above the majority of the populous, then such an offer of identity can be quite intoxicating.
“You mean all I have to do is swear fealty to the great Donald and I can be better than all those nasty liberals, moderates, and republicans who don’t get it? I’m in. Sign me up.”
But what happens if we do the opposite? What happens if we shed all identity. But we can’t say, “I am nothing.” Because even that is an identity. If we wish to shed gender identity and we say I am non-binary, that is just another identity. Shedding identity is not about rejection, but rather about spaciousness.
We don’t have to be anything. We just are.
And when we practice letting go of identities something mysterious and wonderful takes place. We begin to feel liberated, expansive, interconnected. We open ourselves to new possibilities, new life directions, and a new energy space.
I am not my new job or new car or new house or new relationship. I am not my titles or accomplishments. And what’s more, you are not any of those things either. Which is to say that as we shed identity, we begin to see other people for who they truly are — something other than their identities.
And if we are none of those things that we have so carefully constructed our lives around, and instead we are . . . What?
Exactly!
We are: What? We are more the question than the answer. We are more the intangible than the tangible. We are more the being than the definition of being.
We are expansive, flowing, experiencing, expressing, loving, feeling, doing, essencing. We are light as expressed in its many forms. We are not the forms, but the light. But even to say we are light is an identity. But just for fun try it out. The next time someone asks you what you do, say “I am a unique expression of the substrate of the Universe. I am light.” And let’s see what kind of reactions you receive.
When they look at you funny you could clarify by saying, “I am made of the same substrate as an apple pie and the dish it was baked in. Which is also the same substrate that you’re made of.”
But before they walk away befuddled or pull out their cell phone to call 911 you could go further by saying, “I live, I experience, I feel, and I love. I am more these things than those things of the physical Universe. And I seek not to identity with such things as human language defines.”
Maybe if they’ve recently experienced a mind-expanding psilocybin trip, they might get what you’re saying. Or maybe if they too have read this post. Or maybe they’ve read David Bohm or Paramahansa Yogananda or any number of mystics they might get what you’re saying.
But before I risk further confoundment by offering more questions than answers — evolving from our mutual exploration into the meaning of reality — I’ll leave you with this one sobering quote.
“Matter is the matrix of Spirit.” — Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
If you’ve enjoyed this post please like, share, and subscribe. The way the DEEPER side of things reaches a wider audience is through word of mouth. Thank you for your support.