How do you respond when asked:
"Who are you"?

By YIT,
Spiritual Growth Translator

Jerry was very puzzled by the email he received whose subject line simply declared "An important question for you." The body of the message did not really help much either. "Jerry, Come soon. Do not be late; am waiting." Directions from his apartment to an unfamiliar address followed, but no time of expected arrival was included. An email "reply to sender" asking various questions went unanswered. When Jerry did an Internet search for the given address, the street was not listed on any of his usual research sites. How weird is this? Very curious! A perplexing quest presented itself. After leaving a note for his family, off he went.

As he neared the end of the first leg of his journey, Jerry thought that he could see a faint "smoky" glow emanating from a small section of woods across the forest valley. When he arrived at the end of his email delivered "directions," the following sign greeted him.

Jerry
Walk in from here

"Wow, they really do know my name and are expecting me. What the hell?" While following the trail, he spotted different kinds of signs, some with simple words and others with unusual symbols, most of which he did not understand. The first one was a clue as to his location; or, was it? The elephant was looking right at him when he first noticed the sign around its big neck. It heralded, "Welcome to the Emerald Cave."

Continuing on, he noticed some side trails, and occasionally seats as benches, attended sometimes with various, almost alive, statuaries in small grotto settings. Sporadically, the hundreds of happily singing birds would suddenly and simultaneously pause their chorus, as if to all just listen briefly to their own echoes. Everything was so alive, glowing with a ubiquitous pale green dancing light, almost like a heavenly setting from the best of dreams. Some birds flew along side him like traveling companions as he continued walking, including a huge owl, all just watching him. Although it was during the "dog days" of summer, this little oasis called the "Emerald Cave" was noticeably and refreshingly much cooler and moister than where he had been in the city just an hour before. It was very comfortable indeed, with large assortments of flowers reflecting every color of the rainbow, each with their unique fragrance permeating his senses. Everything was starting to sparkle with microscopic dewdrops shimmering with the orangey-gold hue due to the onset of the setting sun. Though exhausted earlier, Jerry now noticed a new spring in his own steps, a kind of energizing field seemed to be affecting his whole being. He was feeling more alive than normal; nearly dream like, how bizarre!

An "old man," almost like a ghost, seemed to suddenly materialize next to Jerry as he was walking the last few steps towards a building at the end of the main trail. Without saying a word, he gestured for Jerry to be seated in a comfortable looking lounge chair that appeared to be leaf-covered branches coming from a massive ancient tree. The old man said nothing, as he seemed to study Jerry. Jerry was, of course, still a bit overwhelmed by everything around him, all rather extraordinary. The old man then sat down facing Jerry in a similar lounge chair that Jerry had previously not noticed as being there. Then the old man took a few deep breaths, and closed his eyes for about a minute. Jerry was too stunned by everything around him to make a fuss. He quietly and somewhat apprehensively looked around as he waited for something else astonishing to happen. His eyes now wide open, the old man asked Jerry a question.

"Who are you?"

Jerry was flabbergasted. "I am Jerry. Wait a minute; you already know that. What do you mean by your question?"

"Who are you?" the old man calmly repeated.

Somewhat baffled, Jerry fumbled around for some kind of reply that may satisfactorily answer the old man’s inquiry. Jerry restarted with "I am Jerry, the oldest of five children" with a pregnant pause that begged for more.

"I am an engineer for the Genesis Company." Soon Jerry realized by the expression on the old man’s face that this was not going to answer his question.

Becoming slightly impatient with the old man, Jerry confidently continued by providing a string of other "right" answers, all as if he really knew who he was, or what kind of answer the old man was actually looking for. "I am married to Jill." "I am a father of two healthy children." "I am a choir member and Pastoral assistant at my church." "I am the highest scoring bowler in my Thursday night league. I am a coach for a little league team."

The old man’s facial expression and attentive listening pose did not change. Now on a roll, Jerry continued. "I am deeply in dept by going after three college degrees." "I am an extrovert." "I am a classical Gemini." "I am very curious and adventuresome." "I am friendly." Still with no change in the old man’s patient listening posture, Jerry continued. "I am always telling jokes." "I am six feet tall and 196 pounds." "I am full of energy most of the time." "I am sometimes sick but usually OK." "I give up. Who am I"?

The old man then kindheartedly responds with:

"All of your statements beginning with "I am" are followed by your expressions of who you think you are and who you wish to continue to be, at least for now. You are broadcasting these verbal creations to the outside world around you. Please Notice: I am means I create. Your creations included: your body’s label, family architecture, occupation, social position, things that you do and have accomplished, along with physical appearances and perceivable personality characteristics. ALL are about that which is external; all on your outside. These you have listed out of habit; it is how you have responded before when you have previously considered who you are. However, they are only empty words that highlight differences, they merely label differentiations. This habit is a learned ego function intended to separate you from others. They are self-important announcements of: ‘me and not-me,’ ‘mine and not-mine,’ well-rehearsed responses designed to divide you from all else in the outside world. None of these labels have anything to do with the real you."

"Please consider this as the real question for today: Who, or what, is the real "I" of "I am"?"

He paused for a moment as Jerry caught his "mental breath" and then continued:

"I won’t keep you in suspense any longer. The real you, the true "I" of "I AM," is your unchanging, private and innermost awareness, the silent inner eyewitness, that quietly observes all of your ego’s varying expressions of "I AM." All of your "I am" statements declared labels that change over time; the real you does not. The real "you" is not at all these apparent ego expressions."

What labels are you using to describe who you are?

Don’t you think it is about time to meet the real you?