The fundamental cause of much of our suffering is the misidentification of form caused by the pure ignorance of the true nature of our own presence.
We make identity’s of form manifestations, such as the things we do and the things we possess. I know this for sure in my own case.
Yes, I was solidly identified with my racing and coaching career, neither, as it turned out, have anything to do with who I am. No house I have ever lived in or car I have ever driven has been mine. They could never be part of me. I think I knew this instinctively early on as I have always struggled with the phenomenon of ownership.
What can I own in this life that I can take out?
I’ll give you one solid thing that I have learned: Nothing you do is who you are. Nothing you own is what you are. I bring in nothing, I take out nothing!
In between, as an athlete, a coach or as a father, all I can do is transfer my essence, because essence is all I brought in here and all I will take out. The flavour of me is unique amongst billions of people, as is yours.
Is that not some kind of miracle?
When I’m gone, my sons will know my essence when they remember me, as I remember the essence of my parents. I don’t spend one second considering what my parents did or owned on reflection.
When their memory comes to me in my private moments as they often do, all I recall is their essence. That is their greatest gift to me as a human being and I honour it.
We often hold each other to ransom for petty transgressions. We revere fame, respect fortunes, battle to keep up with neighbours and engage in insane hoarding of resources to the exclusion of others.
We are flawed in the battle between thoughts, conceptual ideals, collective politics and narrow-minded projections and our own true “nature” of essence. All these layers of projection that we sell to each other keep us from knowing each other.
All these layers of conditioned thoughts keep me from knowing myself, and so the wheel turns. One backs up the other and the loser is human essence, human goodness, or you could say humanity itself.
Nature and nurture are one and the same. We are part of nature, not separate other than the crazy ideas we formulate in our heads.
My reference point here is this: If you are out of your own essence, you are out of your own power!That has ramifications in all areas of life; sport, work, relationships and everywhere else.
All anyone is going to remember of you when you are gone is the essence and fragrance that you left behind. That’s something tangible and something real.
Give me yours and I’ll give you mine.
Gilesy