I must have been 7 or 8 years old when I sat in the back of our car driving home. I had my hand resting on the armrest of the car door. It was in the 70s, and since there was no smartphone, tablet, or whatever, I was looking out of the window, thinking of everything and nothing when my eyes wandered to my hand. I began watching it, and this initial thought came to my mind: “So, that is my hand now.” Further, I moved my hand and consciously watched what it could do. I even remember I wondered what it would look like over the years.

I was a child and looked at my body like something that was not me but only belonged to me for a while. I must have been so clear of it that I am not my body that this thought did not surprise me. Over the years, I lost myself in destructive thought patterns, tried to be the person other people wanted me to be, and lived in fear and under pressure not to fulfill those expectations. So, I lost this kind of consciousness too. 25 -30 years later, I realized that the pressure and fear which became constant companions were only creations of my mind caused by the belief that I am my actions, my achievements, my body, and the way I dress and speak. I worked hard to get rid of this misunderstanding that took over my complete existence and affected every relationship and all my plans in an unhealthy way.

During that time, when “I am not my body” was such an essential part of that process, this short episode of my childhood came to my mind again. And it was then that I was in awe that we know it all. We are perfectly equipped with all the knowledge and tools to make it through this life. It is when we become adults when we “have to” become serious, face reality, and stop dreaming,… that we lose the connection to that inner wisdom. Distorted views, inner blockages, odysseys, and more distorted views that cause blockages are the consequence – and we are drifting further and further away from who we really are. Remembering this short episode makes the big difference. It was nothing spectacular when I was a child but the most magnificent discovery after everything in between. And that is what makes the odyssey so important: Only because I forgot who I was but remembered (and remembered that I already knew) makes it an inseparable chapter in my book of truth.

Such insights make it even clearer that our lifetime here is to remember and appreciate who we really are. We must forget and experience misunderstandings, stumbles, falls, and bruises in order to awaken to consciousness. Of course, we will still face all these distractions as long as we are on this planet. But they can no longer throw us off track – at least not for a long time.

I am not my body, my possession, my title, my achievements,
or whatever others think of me.
I am!