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We are not human do’ers rather we are in a state of human being; being rather than doing. No, what we do does not make us what, or who, we are but now having said this, when I retired I went through a crisis because I no longer had a job title.
I worked in the healthcare field for 42-years and it grew on me. I had lofty titles which went to my head, and people thought of me by my job title whether I thought of me by my job title or not. I was a college professor and that is quite an ego trip.
Traditional Japanese students would bow to me and female American students wanted to go on a date with me, or have sex with me, only because I was a “Professor.” They held that job title in very esteem. It was a very powerful thing, or at least the illusion was powerful, and I had to break out of that illusion.
Thank goodness I was able to do that, and also become comfortable being retired and not a part of the work-a-day world. These days I don’t even identify with my physical body. Things that I have done were just part of my earthly journey; passing involvements which I do not want to be attached to. I have since learned that what, or who, I am is beyond thoughts and words.
We pile so many identities on top of that which has no identity, our true self. We have a racial identity, national identity, ethnic identity, political identity, economic identity, religious or spiritual identity, and yes an occupational identity, among many others. It is my opinion that we are truly none of those things which we call ourselves or identify with. Yet, we do use those identities, hopefully only as a reference.
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