416. To be a Circle without Circumference..........

http://www.speakingtree.in/public/spiritual-blogs/seekers/science-of-spirituality/to-be-a-circle-without-circumference

The train had just picked up speed and two friends one a successful business man and the other working for a corporate company were talking about the identities they possess in life. While one suggested that he could be identified by his relationship with others like son of so and so or husband of so and so. The other felt that it was a common identity which almost every individual had and there was nothing more zeal to it. He said that the identity of a person lies in the profession he is in. Like he is the C.E.O of so and so company was better that the identity of relationship.

Apart from these two friends there was a ex-military man who was hearing the two friends conversation and he said, “The true identity of a person would be not by the relationship or by the career, it is what he gives back to the society which matters a lot for his identity. So personally I feel that one will be identified by what use he is for the society.”  The two friends agree to the military mans views and said that service to society is better than a proficient career which is better than relationship for a person to be identified by other. The three people with three different views on identity started to relate with one another about their differences of opinion.

The three men were so involved in their discussion, exploring and sharing, that they were unaware of an old man sitting near the window listening them. The Ex-military personnel asked the old man what his thought over the discussion was. The old man scratched his chin and said, “All the three of you are wise to give your bit of explanation on your views, but I would like to ask you a question.” All the three nodded and were ready to take the old man’s question.

The old man asked, “Can anyone of you three locate the center of a plot which has no boundaries?” All the three were confused “What has this question got to do with the subject of discussion?” they wondered.

One of the friend said, “Dada ji, if there is no boundary it is impossible to find the center, but how is this question related to identity?”

The old man said, “The center which I am asking is the identity that you are discussing, while the boundaries are me and mine. These two namely "me and mine" bind the self to the limitations of a boundary. Just imagine what would be your identity if you do not have the boundary of self and ego? When you think yourself to be unlimited, you cease to have an identity and without identity you are infinite. Isn't it?”

The retired soldier asked, “What is so special about being a person without identity?”

The old man further explained, “With the curiosity of knowing and anxiety to represent that identity, what most probably happens in a conversation or discussion is that this identity contaminates the purity of connection between the people involved in conversation. The identity mentioned here is irrelavent but has so much power that it creates obstructions in grasping the theme of the subject and cause rift between its counterparts. Is such a thing really necessary? Identities are not a boon but a bane for a person who wants to reach his destination. Your identity is for other to recognise you not for you to boast about it, If you really want to excel drop the TAG attached to you. If you draw a circle on a piece of paper the circumference is the one which decides the boundary of the circle, If there is no circumference the space within the circle melds with the rest of the space on the paper thus becoming one entire image creating a whole entity at the end rather than a separate individuality." 

All the three men started to ponder on the words of the old man who slowly stood up to leave the compartment as his destination arrived.