I HAD A FUN CONVERSATION WITH ONE OF MY MENTORS A FEW WEEKS AGO. David Sanders is perhaps one of the most intelligent, thought provoking people I know. He is the founder of the “Kabbalah Experience” in Denver as well as a very accomplished psychologist and family counselor.

I show him breathing techniques and he makes me think, fair trade.

After we had been chatting for a bit, he looked at me and said “Jeff, tell me who you are.” I thought and then said “Well, I’m Jeff Suskin! I am 5'8, 171 lbs, my hair is brown, my eyes are hazel. I am 44 years young. I am the publisher of DiningOut Magazine. My interests include Yoga, Jiu Jitsu, Skiing. I have a dog. I live at such and such address, my parents are Danny and Leslie, my sisters are Jennifer and Cindy..etc etc.”

He looked at me and nodded and said, “good thorough answer.”

Then he asked me, “Have you ever seen the movie “Castaway” with Tom Hanks” I had, I never thought too much about it, but yes I had seen it.

He said “Now imagine that you find yourself on a deserted island. You will never want for food and water, because it is plentiful. The weather is very temperate, and you will also find yourself in good health for the rest of your days (dont read into this scenario too much), however, you are never getting rescued, you are never getting off of that island and you are never going to see anyone human again. Do you understand this? Do you have any questions about this world I have created for you?” To which I didnt.

“Now tell me who YOU are?”

I was no longer a son, brother or uncle, a lover of anyone, an athlete, a Jiu Jitsu Black Belt, a publisher. I was no longer 5'8, I was no longer 44. I was no longer a certain weight. My eyes werent even a certain color any longer, I couldnt see them. My likes and dislikes were no longer a concern. My skin color didnt matter, I wasnt even a Man or a Woman anymore as there was nothing to make that comparison with. I was no longer strong or weak. Courageous or cowardly. Rich or poor. In essence I was no longer Jeff Suskin. What an uncomfortable feeling!

The question David asked me has a great answer that I found in a book called “The Untethered Soul” by Michael A Singer

“As you go deeper into yourself, you will naturally come to realize that there is an aspect of your being that is always there and never changes. This is your sense of awareness, your consciousness. It is the awareness that is aware of your thoughts, experiences the ebb and flow of your emotions, and receives your physical senses. This is the root of Self. You are not your thoughts; you are aware of your thoughts. You are not your emotions; you feel your emotions. You are not your body; you look at it in the mirror and experience this world through its eyes and ears. You are the conscious being who is aware that you are aware of all of these inner and outer things.”

We create a world of what we think we are. That is our world. And we panic and do everything we can to hold this world together. We cling to permanence and are rocked to the core when the foundation of it all crumbles. People and pets die and relationships end, and in the end YOU leaves your body, and all of the masks we spend our lives creating, when we pass.

The human experience is about distinction. Think about your life, you are always discerning between good and bad, pleasure and pain, big and little, fat and thin, short and tall, black and white. That is what our psyche somehow needs to do. However our consciousness can bring us toward the spiritual experience which leaves distinction behind. Things just “are.” And this is where the practice of mindfulness and meditation comes in.

The answer to David Sander’s question is simply “YOU are the awareness” I have also heard it said before that “Soul = Awareness”

Meditate on that…