In updating my
profile, there is a realization that a lot has changed over the past 10 months. This realization brings up the point that unlike most
, I no longer fit into a bright, upwardly arcing, potential-rich profile. What has changed? Well, for one, I am no longer actively self-employed, employed by an outside company or freelancing as a hired gun in any meaningful way. I have no outside income from these practices and I am not actively seeking employment. There is no active Résumé, no list of accomplishments in which to seek or entice a respected employer. There is no one at the office working to be a better office worker. There is a dearth of professional accomplishments added to the story of 'me'. Oh dear, what is to be done? Admittedly, I am
not
what networking should be - I am, as it were,
UnlinkedIn
.
What can this mean? Well, for one, there are no engagements, meetups, conventions, seminars, interviews, frantic emails or tweets, no second interviews, or followups on this calendar. It appears that I have failed the number one priority of LinkedIn, in which one actively constructs relationships with desirable professionals who will in turn consider one for future opportunities. To whom does this position offer value? To whom might this condition of
unlinkableness
be useful? There will be no Harvard Business School grads or Fortune 500 companies actively searching my credentials and skill set to hire me for their next big design project. Boo hoo.
In considering our relationship to the purpose in life, our life purpose, there arises a sense of balance and clearness of purpose, of
Being
. As with previous posts '
','
,'
', and '
'
An interpretation of this search for the true self is explored. Discovery of our true nature, our natural state of being, is of the utmost importance and can be considered the path of life purpose- your alignment with what is and acceptance of your purpose to and in life.
The previous posts all dealt with using the self inquiry of 'Who Am I” to get to the point where you know
what you are not.
Once this is made aware to you, there is a deeper understanding of the true self, that which is beyond the misinformed, misdirected and mislabeled identification with a false, external 'me'. Using the present moment as a springboard for this self inquiry, one can find that the true 'I' is far more expansive and 'real' than the reality our conditioning would have us believe. All the rest of our roles we play on a daily basis fit inside life, not the other way around. Our roles as Manager, Mommy, Daddy, Grandparents, brother, sister, professional all fit into this container of life. Work is not life, well, not for everybody. There is nothing external to life that you are defined by in reality. You may associate certain thoughts, patterns, behaviors and beliefs, all coming from the mind-made projection you call your life to life, but it is not. There is the Being part of the human being that is causeless, changeless, aligned with the Source of the Universe and beyond the need for an identity other than what it is. It just is, Being means that you can just 'be'. Nothing to add or do in order to be who you really are- consciousness aware of consciousness aware of itself in consciousness. It doesn't even require a name. Oneness- connected, done.
The last 10 months of battling head and neck cancer has been a journey to find the real purpose of life beyond this identification of 'me'. Who Am I? What is my relationship to the purpose of life? Am I really willing to love? Am I really ready to let go of the false self that is a SS#, a male, a graphic designer, a cancer patient, a tax payer, a statistic? What is there beyond this? These types of questions lay bare any and all pretenses that surround the purpose of life and one's purpose to life. Facing the falling away of this mortal body, what is there really to cling to based on my profile on LinkedIn? Is being dead or half dead a reason to be conflicted about one's profile? Sure, there is relevance to being fully immersed in life, having a successful career, raising a family and perpetuating oneself beyond this timeframe of existence. To be honest, what really matters is that one can awaken to the true reality of 'Who Am I' and be at peace with the results of this inquiry. Knowing, as Mooji says, 'That which is can never not be' is the primary result of not being overly concerned with being dead or half dead and needing to it to be 'okay' within a social construct, a concept.
What has occurred in this healing/surviving cancer process is that what is not a part of life, what is not true, what is not love, what is not peace, what is not joy, what is not health, what is not oneness, what is not acceptance, what is not spirit, what is not eternal has fallen away. I look behind me on my morning walks and there is no past to convict, no future to obsess about, no worry about what will be or will not be. It is what it is. No great displays of visions, fireworks, old poets, holy emanations, burning shrubbery or pillars of smoke or flying saucers. The mind ceases to chatter incessantly, there is more expanse for the beauty of each new moment, each new day, more stillness and an appreciation for the space surrounding things and the things contained within those spaces. Simple, honest gratefulness for the present moment and a love and trust that the NOW is perfect, nothing to do, nothing to strive for, nothing to be changed, nothing to contend with or strive to 'be'. In fact, there is just being- which is a full time occupation. There is no regret, no remorse, no sense of right or wrong, no caring or not caring. It is and that's fine. So I guess 'being' has become an occupation, if one finds that necessary. There is also the seeking aspirant who is being broadened and deepened to understanding and knowing of self realization. 'Who Am I' is the gateway to discovering what this journey holds. Until next time, it feels pretty good to be UnlinkedIn.
One Love
Just awesome.
ReplyDeleteHi Psiplex, when I read your words especially the first sentence of your last paragraph I suddenly sat back & thought of an onion and how it's "whole" is made up of many layers. How you can peel them away, layer by layer and what do you have left, the centre core. On your next morning walk, try to walk on some grass and feel the nice cushy support! Sending smiles :o)Thank you for your post.
ReplyDelete