You-er than You

Sometimes I get lost in my own head. I get caught up with my emotions, my problems, etc. That doesn't mean I'm not also aware of what's going on with other people – I've had lots of feelings about what happened in Orlando, for instance – but I get trapped in the emotional whirlwind.

I texted a friend this week and he said when he's in such a state, he tries to get in touch with the part of himself that is greater than all of that. Not in a detached, suppress-your-feelings kind of way, but in a recognition there's another “self,” here. There's another entity present.

We often think we are one petal, forgetting we are the whole rose.

In my yoga and meditation group, we talk about the existence of a witnessing entity. An all-seeing, all-knowing entity that is always present everywhere. It's detached and unperturbed like the depths of the ocean. There's a Self that sees the comings and goings but remains unaffected. There's my little “I” that worries about the mundane trials and tribulations, that gets caught up in emotional storms like a boat thrashing about in the sea, and then there's the big “I” that dwells beneath the storm, deep in the water.

When I pull back a little, when I detach a bit from my little self and connect to my big Self, I'm given some perspective. I'm reminded I've been through turbulent times before and I'll go through turbulent times again. Life is a constant flow, an unending cycle of pleasure and pain. But in the grand scheme of things, all is well and all shall be well.

Please don't misunderstand me, I am not saying there aren't real problems in the world. There is some serious stuff going down that requires our attention and our action. I don't think if we all sit on our meditation cushions that suddenly hungry children will get fed and the air will clear. Action is required from us. But what I am saying is we are more than our problems. We are more than our sufferings. We are more than we think we are. There is an other here. A calm, quiet voice within, if you will. And when I get in touch with that higher Self, I am able to tap into an infinite source of wisdom, kindness, and perspective that will aid me in every endeavor. When I tap into that source, I tap into the part that's me-er than me, and from there, I can handle anything.

I dream of a world where we remember we are more than the sum of our parts. A world where we remember there is another Self with us; a Self that graces us with kindness, wisdom, perspective, and inspiration. A world where we remember we've been through trouble before and we'll go through trouble again, but not to worry because we are never alone or helpless. The force that guides the stars guides us too.

Another world is not only possible, it's probable.