We humans are curios beings, and why not? In this vast home of ours called the Universe, there are–for us–more questions than answers. This fact keeps many scientists employed, and some of us up at night. As for me, I began asking–what seemed to me to be–vitally important questions at a fairly young age, and I suspect I’m not alone in my quest for answers about life.
Maybe you too are curios about such things as; Who are you, why are you here, who made all of this possible, is this all there is, what happens after death, and so forth. I personally can not imagine life without examination of these queries and feel grateful to have the capacity to do so, especially considering that we humans may be the only life on the planet to do so. In fact, I wonder if life would even be as interesting for us if we knew all the answers!
For the purpose of this article, I would like to address one particular question, Who am I? Am I just one of many animals on planet Earth, and nothing more? Before I was born into this form, did I not exist? When my body no longer functions will I cease to exist? Am I my body?
As far back as I can remember, I have been on a mission to defend and protect my body. Particularly at this point in my life, focus on my physical well being seems to take up a good deal of time and effort because the wellness seams to be declining. I suspect that many of us in my age group are experiencing similar situations. It certainly seems that it is in our best interest to consider our physical condition, as caring for our body will likely impact not only our experience of life but also the length of it.
If then, like me, most of us will spend our entire life serving the best interest of our body, perhaps this is the reason we’re so reluctant to give up the fight at end of life, even when we’re fighting a no win war. After all, saying goodbye to a precious friend who has served us well is no easy feat and it is only natural to feel a sense of loyalty.
But the question remains. Who am I? Am I my arm? Am I my foot? Am I my body? After years and years of looking at this question from many angles, today I am prepared to say no, I am not my body. I have enjoyed a lifetime of use and stewardship of my body, and I am very, very grateful. But I am certainly “other” than my body, and I’ll tell you how I know.
First, the very fact that I call it “mine” and not “me” tells us something important, right? And consider this; If I should be so unfortunate to lose my arm, I would still be me. And actually, if I lost any part of my body I would still be me. So this fact leads me to a confidence that once my body no longer functions and becomes what is referred to as “dead”, I will still be me. Every part of my being knows with certainty that I was “me” before I became Myra and long after my body no longer experiences life in form, I will still be me.
Don’t get me wrong, I still have many, many questions, but knowing that I will continue “being” after I am no longer a “human being” causes me to be much less fearful about “death”. Perhaps this can be true for you as well?
