The secret of being human lies in discovering who we really are. While on this journey of life, it is easy to get caught up in this body. I am referring to the so-called designations of the body. I am a man or a woman. I am black, white or yellow. I am a father, a daughter, a son, a mother, a dentist, a lawyer, an executive, a firefighter, etc. I am rich or poor. I am fat or skinny. I am an alcoholic; a survivor of incest; disabled. I have cancer; I have ADD; I am blind, etc. Yes, these are all description or designations of the body, but we are so much more!
Most people on this planet will not discover the secret of being human. They will get caught up in the world and die thinking that they are those designations, that that is their “legend.”
Every religion refers to who we are: “You are made in the image of God” or “You are part and parcel of God” or “You are the essence of the Creator.” Over and over, the scriptures of all religions talk about us coming from God, being part of God, or that “I Am Pure Spirit witnessing all of this as God.”
There is an old Sufi story. It has been changed a little, but the essence of the story goes something like this:
One day, God and the Angels were discussing where to put the Secret of Being Human.
And one of the Angels said, “I know where….put it on top of the highest mountain.”
And God said, “No. They will climb the highest peak just for the sake of climbing it; not in search of the secret of being human.”
Then another Angel said, “Let’s put it in the depths of the forest. They will never find it there.”
And God disagreed.
Then another Angel said, “We can put it at the bottom of the ocean. They can’t get there.”
And God assured the Angel that they would someday.
Then God said, “I know where to put it, I will put in their hearts. They will never search there.”
There’s something you have to understand. The reason why it is difficult to find the secret of being human is because to make it easy would cheapen it. Like all good things in life, we have to work for it. For most of us, if we are just given something, we don’t value it as much as if we worked for it.
And it is said: “The longest journey is the one to your heart.”
In the Vedas, they talk about spiritsoul being in your heart. In Catholicism, they talk about the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In Sufism, it is “the secret chamber of the heart.” In all religions when they refer to the heart, they are not referring to the physical heart, but the secret chamber where only you and God can go. It is not open to anyone else, not even your most beloved person here on earth. This place is for you and God only. It is where you discover who you are and why you are here.
So, in life, if we can understand the difference between our bodily designations and that of our true Self, we will not become so entangled in attachment to all the “designations” that will surely come and go. The idea is to become the witness to them, rather than attached to them.
The Prophet Mohammad said, “Be in this world as a traveler, one who is just passing by.” Lord Buddha tells us that the nature of life in this world is suffering until we become whole, meaning that we need to experience ourselves as both the outer aspect of the body and as the Inner Self and understand our true Self. And Jesus of Nazareth said, “Be in this world, but not of this world.”
You can find out more about the Secret of Being Human in my book I AM Ah-Man, Man-Heart-Trust or at one of my upcoming Retreats scheduled in the New York area.
To learn more about Michael Hoare and Ah-Man, visit here.
