Are We Really Who We Think We Are?

Have you ever been in the middle of a conversation and thought, “Wow, am I really listening to myself right now?” Maybe not the most practical time to get philosophical, but it brings up an interesting question: Who or what are we, really?

Let’s break it down practically. Imagine you’re sitting in a movie theater. You’ve got your popcorn in hand, watching a film where all sorts of things are happening. One moment you’re on the edge of your seat, the next moment you’re wondering if you have enough popcorn left. Whatever you think of the movie, one thing is clear: you aren’t the movie. You’re the one watching it.

But what if we applied this idea to our own lives? Everything you think, feel, and experience—it’s like a movie. Your body, your thoughts, the people around you—they’re all part of this film playing on the big screen of your consciousness. And you, your true self, aren’t the movie, but the one observing it.

You might be thinking, “Okay, nice idea, but what does that mean in everyday life?” Well, imagine you’ve just had a stressful day. The coffee machine was broken, you got caught in the rain without an umbrella, and your favorite show had a bad episode. As those frustrations rise, you remind yourself: This is the movie. And I am the observer. You’re aware of the experience, but you aren’t the experience itself.

Here’s the fun part: if you really were just the movie, you wouldn’t be able to see it. Just like you don’t go to the cinema to be the cinema, you aren’t your thoughts and emotions passing by—you’re the one watching all the action. And that observer, or consciousness, is always quiet, calm, and empty of all the drama on screen. It’s just watching.

So next time you’re getting worked up over bad coffee or a missing umbrella, think to yourself: “Ah, the movie is playing again, but I’m still sitting here in my seat.”

It’s really that simple. We are the consciousness observing everything, not the lead actors in the story, it’s a wonderfully relaxing thought to realize you’re not stuck in the movie—you’re just watching it.