I mean – everyone can put a litany of things they are – son/student/worker/ husband/father etc. The thing is – that's just names from the outside, the roles you play in the theater of life.

We identify with them, but they are not us. Inside us there is something that waits to be awakened – a candle of curiosity that as long as we can remember was continually put down by people who surrounded us. This curiosity is your spark of life, and when it will get extinguished it will be the beginning of your demise – you'll roll on some more from a mere impetus, but finally you'll just pass away.

Because we were discouraged to look inside, we tend to search for it around us – we find a glitter and try to get it, only to find out that was a reflection, and the thing we were fighting to get is just an empty shell. So we turn around and follow the next glitter…

All the while the kindling light you search for is within you.

When we are with little kids we see this candle in them – it lightens the world around them – us including.

Meditate on it

I do believe that to some degree every single person struggles with this. And I also feel that it is not enough to conquer materialism, individualism, or any other "-ism's". Even Fransiscan monks, who had already given up much of the choice in their lives and were living without material possessions are disciplined to be content with their station, not to seek approval for their labors, and so on. So that tells me it must be more than just stuff. I like the comment that you made to evaluate and understand our choices, values, and how those two relate. I can admit as I'm sure others would that many times we make choices with little or no thought to our values, or whether they move us closer to a goal. We are making decisions in the moment of our want or need. It's precisely for this reason that most companies develop a vision or mission statement. As cliche as it sounds, I think it's an immensely powerful tool for an individual as well. It helps us to measure the appropriateness of our actions. Thanks for a thought provoking post, J.