How to Find Ourselves
I want to talk about one's self, and a way to find it. Most of you know me many weeks and recognize my face and my voice. Now I take off my glasses; do you recognize me? You probably think that: even if you taking off your glasses, it doesn't make you a different person.
How about if I cut my finger nail; cut my hair, am I still be myself? What if I loss my kidney or have heart transplant. What do you think?... I probably loss my mind, but I still be the same person.
Imagine, if you hear someone in a dark room said "I am a girl", you have an idea what she is talking. If the voice said "I am myself", you have no idea what that means. The word "self" is not definite; anyone has his own freedom to define this word. A minute ago I speculated about taking my organs off and I still myself. On the contrast, I can expand and claim something outside my body is myself. Do you have an experience that if your loved one is being hurt, you would rather be the one who got hurt? Keep that thought... In history, there are patriots who died for their countries and the things or persons they loved. Those things and persons that outside the patriot's physical body are more important than his own body. We can call that patriot's self is more than his physical body because he is willing to sacrifice his life for something else.
Well I can throw things away from my body and claim I am still myself or claim something outside from my physical body to be part of myself. Exactly what is one own self? Well, each one of us has to find it on our own. This is a rather deep philosophical topic; but I would like to share an easy and simple way, so all of us can practice it and look for our own self. The way that I am talking about is honesty.
Why honesty will help us find ourselves. If you don't honest, you have to put on a mask on. You already cover yourself. To be dishonest, you have to calculate, you have to beware. With all the time and energy that spent on to be prepared, and to cheat, how can one fine anything? You cover yourself from other people; in fact you cover the real self from you. Why not just relax and be honest; with a relaxed altitude the true self will emerge from our soul.
I was thinking, American does not have a long history, unlike the Europe and old Asia. But it has a story about George Washington honestly admitted cutting his father cherry tree. Someone say this is not a true story. However, it showed that honesty was an important element that the early Americans like to cherish when they first found a country on this new piece of land. Today we still like to keep honesty as the high conduct of the nation. If everyone is honest and respects the different opinions and cultures of the others, this will lead American as a whole will find herself.