Identity Crisis

Identity Crisis

There was once a man who was a teacher. He had been teaching the students of the 4th class for the last ten years. One day he was very depressed and confused. He wondered where his life was heading. He was fed up with his mundane routine. Getting up in the morning, having breakfast and then going to the school and then returning back. He wanted some change out of this mundane rhythm and wanted something out of the world. Just as he was going through these feelings a person comes and meets him. This person is very happy and comes and thanks him profusely. He says that he was his student and that now he has come out in flying colours. He tells that he is indebted to his teacher because one of the stories that this teacher had narrated in the class served as an inspiration for him. He owed all his success to him. This man then realised his mistake.
Till then he was identifying himself as a layman and an ordinary teacher. He considered himself insignificant. But know when this student told that he derived inspiration from him, he started identifying himself with the spirit of the teacher. He realised that he no more is an insignificant person. He had the power to change students, influence students and mould his students.
What is the difference? Earlier he was a teacher and later also he remained a teacher. The difference was that he began identifying himself with the spirit of the teacher and not his "mere and insignificant body".
Similarly many a times in our lives people come to us with many problems. We are eager to help them but are a unable to do so. We feel it is not in our capacity to help them, some higher power is required. So many times we would have heard news about the earthquake and tsunami, floods, riots etc. We want to help the people but we are not able to do so. In fact many a times we are in a dilemma. We feel guilty on one hand that people are suffering but on the other hand we have to continue with our daily routine.
We feel that it is not in our capacity to help the people because we identify ourselves with the body. The higher force for which we are looking for is the Atma which is present within us. Just as the teacher now started identifying himself with the spirit of the teacher similarly we must start identifying ourselves with the Spirit or the Atma. Then once we are fully convinced that we are the Atma then we will see all others also as Atma. Then we won't see the suffering for the suffering is for the human body and not for the atma. The atma is indestructible.