An Obstacle on My Chosen Career Path Led to an Identity Crisis

[paul-met-debbie]

This is what happens in life. It happened to me several times. Until I got the message. It has nothing to do with cf per se. We have identities and believe them into existence. Than life which is ever changing comes along and frustrates us in persuing this identity. We have an identity crisis.

The common mistake we make is that we think that now we have to overcome the crisis. To cure it. To look for another identity. Only to find out that after a while, life again comes along to frustrate this new identity. Or, after a while whe get disenchanted with the identity our selves (is this all there is?).

We should take these identity crises for what they really are: they are pointers. They are not to be solved themselves, we have to transcend them. They point us to a truth: you will never find yourself in any identity or combination of identities. You will only find yourself when you look inside. An identity crisis cannot be cured by fixing or changing the identify, you have to let go of identity (or any identities) all together. That is, outside identity rooted in the world out there. Mind made identities. Conditioned identities. Temporary fixes to the person.

Don’t try to fix your identity. You mind is on the Titanic and you would be doing nothing more than re-arranging the deckchairs. Why not jump ship all together and find out that you don’t need this boat, that you are a perfect natural swimmer? And that swimming is enjoyable without any identity or outer purpose whatsoever. Even without being a swimmer.

So, this question you ask is really important: who am I, without CF? Now, take it a level higher, and transcend your person, your health situation, your conditioning: ask yourself Who am I? Answering this question could be your inner purpose for the rest of your life. The outer purposes will follow naturally, they are only secondary.

In our Western mind-fixated world this question (Who am I – beyond my mind) has not been very popular, although nowadays mindfulness training could be a start to the proces. In other more advanced parts of the world we find Zen, Advaita vedanta etc. There are however many great thinkers/philosophers who have translated this wisdom for us in easy and accessible terms and ways, from Alan Watts to Eckhart Tolle. Dive into that, you won’t be dissappointed. You will discover the lightness of being. It’s about you. Not the person you think you are, but the real you.

May grace be with you.