The True Self

The recent articles on this blog discussed the three types of masks: the bad, the neutral, and the good. Once one removes all the layers of these masks one will discover who one truly is. 

When one dies, will it matter what race and country one belonged to, what positions and possessions one boasted of, what colour and figure one had, and what degrees and titles one earned? None of these labels will matter. Naked one enters into this world, and naked one returns. All forms of identities based on any mask will lose their significance one day. 

Many realise the folly of clinging to these temporary identities as their moment of death nears. Often one becomes stripped of all temporary identities in the face of death. But one does not have to wait until one is nearing death to grasp such vanity. The journey of knowing one’s true self can start now. 

To peel off one’s false layers of the mask is to reach a holy place — an inner core — the pure self. To fail to discover one’s true self is to fail one’s own sainthood and to miss the purpose of life. 

The true self can be defined as which existed even before one was born, and which will exist even after one’s death. That which was before one’s birth and will remain after one’s death is unchangeable, indestructible, eternal, and therefore is the true self. 

           For one to know one’s true self one must see oneself with the eyes of her/his Creator. One cannot realise her/his pure self without Divine vision. ‘Who one is for God’ is his/her true identity. An identity rooted in God does not crumple. Hence, one needs to ask oneself  “Who am I for God?”  

The answer one finds will prove to be his/her true identity. In this process, one will discover that one is a child of God, a beloved of God, a friend of God, a part of the Universal Being, or a ray of the Absolute Light and Joy. Once one realises one’s identity rooted in the Divine vision, no one can snatch it away. 

The invitation for each person is to see oneself with the eyes of God to discover their true self.