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DividedQuantum
Outer Head


Registered: 12/06/13
Posts: 9,819
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identity 2
#22332203 - 10/04/15 11:04 AM (8 years, 3 months ago) |
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Our identity as humans interacting on the physical plane seems to be something of a phantasm -- it is not especially fixed to anything. Most of the time, we "are ourselves," but things can become very fluid during certain chaotic periods, including psychoses for example. It seems there is really no objective essence to our ego-identity. But there is a more fundamental level, beyond or beneath the ego, on which we do seem to have some sort of anchor -- some kind of unchanging essence that affixes us to the cosmos. It is important to see and distinguish these levels to have any sense of perspective on the nature of identity.
-------------------- Vi Veri Universum Vivus Vici
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PocketLady



Registered: 01/18/10
Posts: 1,773
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Nice post If we consider our personalities on a day to day basis, it seems we are very changeable. Before even reaching something as extreme as psychosis, if we consider outbursts of anger, sadness, anxiety, depression, mania etc, all of these are examples of just how fickle the personality is. We allow the mind to pull us around and dictate the way we perceive and the way we behave. As you say, underneath all of this there is an awareness that never changes, the essential nature. It it were possible to remain with this awareness all of the time, then no matter how the mind thrashes around, we would never be taken off into illusion by it. We would simply see it for what it is - not real. Meditation is the key to this, which eventually leads to full realisation where the egoic mind no longer has any control at all.
-------------------- Love is from the infinite, and will remain until eternity. The seeker of love escapes the chains of birth and death. Tomorrow, when resurrection comes, The heart that is not in love will fail the test. ~ Rumi The day we start giving Love instead of seeking Love, we will have re-written our whole destiny. ~ Swami Chinmayanada Saraswatir
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once in a lifetime
sun child



Registered: 02/12/15
Posts: 1,807
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Identity, the novel by Milan Kundera ia a very good read, dear DQ, if my earlier brain wasn't misleading me.

hehe
-------------------- Innocent, Oldfield & Hegerland Julia Delaney, Bothy Band Rasta Girl, Sister Carol Genesis, Jorma K I Wish You Peace, Lawrence Laughing Do Your Thing, Moondog large . . music garden . . veryall peace them hiStarhouse - main Time Traveler's Guide
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muckamuck
Stranger
Registered: 07/20/15
Posts: 187
Last seen: 7 years, 11 months
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Quote:
DividedQuantum said: Our identity as humans interacting on the physical plane seems to be something of a phantasm -- it is not especially fixed to anything. Most of the time, we "are ourselves," but things can become very fluid during certain chaotic periods, including psychoses for example. It seems there is really no objective essence to our ego-identity. But there is a more fundamental level, beyond or beneath the ego, on which we do seem to have some sort of anchor -- some kind of unchanging essence that affixes us to the cosmos. It is important to see and distinguish these levels to have any sense of perspective on the nature of identity.
Cool post.
This is something I've been thinking about a lot recently, identity has always been a big issue for me so I've always found it very easy to get carried away with weird subcultures, politics, racial theories etc as a kind of substitute, but they never last. There is always the feeling that my persona is basically just a mirror of all the people I've come into contact with over time, some amorphous hybrid creature with no substance. A realisation I had during some recent depression is that self-pity was another kind of indentity grab, like it might distinguish me somehow. I'm starting to see there's no point trying because all qualities really belong to God and we all share the same essence anyway. My qualities are latent in other people and their qualities are latent in me, always. A strength is an inverted weakness and a weakness is an inverted strength. A cat is really just a penguin in the shape of a cat. I'm actually very compassionate, it's just a shame that I spend so much time directing it all toward myself, so I'm learning to convert the self-pity into a more fruitful kind of universal-pity.
Someone else on here, pretty sure it was once in a lifetime, said "it's not my pain, or your pain, it's THE pain " - this is Wisdom.
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Edited by muckamuck (10/04/15 04:11 PM)
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Chronic7
Registered: 05/08/04
Posts: 13,679
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I agree, if someone senses there that their current identity is questionable then it can be good to distinguish between different aspects of that identity in the search to be true to yourself. Throughout a lifetime whatever we can identify with is all subject to change, the body we identified with as a toddler is no longer exactly the same body, our knowledge, opinions and feelings all also change in regards to things.
Intuitively to me it feels there is a more consistent identity, even identifying as a person i feel like i'm the same being my whole life despite the changefullness in all the additional aspects that i can identify with... of course when the body ceases to exist it may take with it the identity of the 'same being for my whole life', but rather then speculate or believe that there is an unchanging eternal self i feel that it's best to look for ourselves at our identity, whether it is consistent, and whether it can be objectified are two questions i find particularly helpful.
All the things we can identify with have one thing in common, they can be seen, you can be aware of them. I find that this awareness is the closest to consistency possible, as everytime i check to see, it is here and essentially is not changing, so as far as i'm aware it's always present and unchanging. I don't believe it never ends but i don't believe it ends either, open ended awareness...
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once in a lifetime
sun child



Registered: 02/12/15
Posts: 1,807
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Self-reflection is a very good path. . it's the hermits, the ones who look inward, to find that unchanging source - these are the ones who keep humanity on path, generally. . .
Peace is possible -and, beautiful how every culture shares so many similarities - seek peace, then, share it - same little instruction -
message there in every wisdom-path. . .
Consciousness as a mirror is a very common and recurring theme, in several collections. . . very useful i always found too, throughout my life.
Then there is so much more - there's always more, in the form of a new universe, or a new revelation.
As soon as we become new, our world does as well, so to find the place where we're . . . well, I suppose that place could be called any number of different things. . .
But it's certainly true, I'd say, that there always seems to be something new to experience. . . Has anyone experienced every experience? Like, down to the triple-heart'd Octopi, and the Peacock Mantis Shrimp?
Anyway form and formlessness, normal stuff. . I definitely feel it's beautiful - and, always great to get new perspectives on it. . .
One thing I've been exploring over the last two years is just - how to get in touch with the sacred. . . or it's more apparent aspect - deeply settled peace, pure happiness and health, etc. , for in a very real sense, that is the source of healing.
-------------------- Innocent, Oldfield & Hegerland Julia Delaney, Bothy Band Rasta Girl, Sister Carol Genesis, Jorma K I Wish You Peace, Lawrence Laughing Do Your Thing, Moondog large . . music garden . . veryall peace them hiStarhouse - main Time Traveler's Guide
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