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The Face in the Mirror — Is That You?
When you glance at yourself in the mirror, do you ever wonder, “Who is that old person looking back at me?”
I know that I’ve changed so much physically over the decades but behind the wrinkles and graying hair and a body that betrays me,
There I am.
But, “Who’s that I?” “Who’s that self?” “Who’s that masked man”
When people are asked this question, they often respond by saying things like: “I am a professor of literature,” or “I am a mother,” or “I am an adventurer.”
However, these are descriptions that reflect our roles, our interests, our activities, or, perhaps, our status.
Who would we be if these roles, for example, were suddenly taken away by job loss or death? The fact that we often sink into depression or malaise when losing an important job or career speaks to this strong identification of our “self” with what we do or how we appear to others.
If we choose to look at ourselves in a different light, however, we will discover that the “self” is not these things our culture has taught us to believe we are.
What about us transcends our physical age or even death? Where does our deep value lie? Many make the distinction between the true and the false self. Let’s do this through a series of 10 “I…