Who am I?

Mr. D has been incapacitated by severe chronic back pain depression for as long as I have known him. He was abused as a youth in a group home. He has been on decades and multitudes of psycho-pharmaceuticals. Some were recently tapered only due to significant facial dyskinesia.
His intractable negative outlook in life completely took a turn when he developed prostate cancer about a year ago. He began gardening, painting the house and helping with house work. His wife smiles when she tells me he has been at peace and content for the first time in their life together.

Who am I?

Am I that of yesterday, today or tomorrow?

Am I the body or the mind?

Am I my thought?  Which thought?

What is my body?  Does it end at limit of my skin, my perception or all its interdependencies?

What is pain and suffering?

Why do animal have pain but plants don’t?

Why do human and some animals suffer but oligo-cellular organism don’t seem to?

What is awareness?

Why is it that no one needs to remind me not to touch a hot kettle; yet I often remind myself not to suffer my thoughts?

What is love?

Does anyone ask the right hand to love the left hand?  Or do they just know?

Perhaps love is the collective awareness of the collective. The journey is of the collective.  The path is free choice.  The tolls are pain and suffering.

“I am not my body. I am not even my mind.” — Sadhguru

“We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.” — T.S. Elliot