Yes, I am perfect. So are you.
No, I am not crazy.
Most of us have been conditioned to believe the opposite and think we need improvement continuously. Because we confuse who we are with what we have and what we do. In other words, we confuse the being with having and doing.
Life journey is like riding a bike. The goal is to explore, experience and enjoy. The rider is who we are (our essence); the bike is what we have (the tool); and the riding is what we do (the action). While the rider is perfect, the bike and the riding are neutral. They are neither good nor bad. They are necessities.
In life, the bike comes in many forms – money, title, diploma, language skill, or iphone. We pick up these tools along the way when we need them. They have no meaning by themselves. By the same token, teaching, performing surgery, or building bridge are similar to bike riding. There is no inherited prestige or social stratification.
Unfortunately, we assign meanings to these tools and actions by making them up out of thin air. We consider people with money, title, achievement or art collection as more worthy than the rest, not realizing that everything we have outside of us comes and goes as it always does. When we attach our identities with fluctuating elements, we subject ourselves to emotional roller coasters.
At the same time, we forget who we really are – our essence, inner child or spirit, which is always perfect from birth to death. We spend lifetime trying to perfect already perfect self, building a bigger and prettier bike, feeling shamed about our imperfect riding which is always work in progress.
With such confusion, no wonder life is a challenge.
