Sally Kempton’s article, Getting to Know You, talks about her journey to self-discovery. In this rapidly changing world, Kempton proposes thought provoking questions that help her explore her identity. Kempton continues to pursue the answer to her question–“what defines me?” (Kempton 59)—but it was not until years later that she discovered that her answer may not be as simple because she is more complex than she originally thought. The yoga philosophy text, Taittiriya Upanishad, described human beings with five layers which “interpenetrate[s] each other, encasing the soul like the layers of an onion” (Kempton 60). The five layers are: physical sheath, vital energy sheath, mental sheath, wisdom sheath, and bliss sheath. Kempton proposes exercise routines to help reach a deeper level in the sheaths and hopefully transcend into the bliss sheath to eventually realize that life is good.
Kempton points out that our identity is shaped by an unstable environment, causing our sense of self to be lost throughout the events, places, people, and other phenomenon that we encounter. However, I agree with that fact that with the knowledge of our layers we can adjust according as to what areas in ones attitude need to be adjusted. As Kempton struggles to define herself, she reveals the complexity of an individual, which is the primary challenge in exploring her core. Kempton explains how each sheath comes into play as a different identity, starting with the outermost layer known as the physical sheath.
For me personally, I have realized that when I am able to acknowledge my state and thus identify myself, I tend to be more content regardless of the emotions I am experiencing. During yoga sessions especially in shivasana, Theresa and Lezlie would remind us to make peace with ourselves: recognize and acknowledge what you are feeling and then let it go. The path to enlightenment is to be able to liberate my superficial needs from this world. When I hold on to such matters, my mind tends to become clustered and I would dwell in that level and end up preventing myself from proceeding to the next level closer to the core. For example, I remember the time my roommate woke me up by pounding on the door in the middle of the night, thinking the door is locked. I was furious with her inconsideration. She then left to party the rest of the night away, leaving me with futile attempts of falling back asleep. I was way too upset to calm myself down, but by breathing and acknowledging my state, I was able to adjust my attitude towards the situation. To know is to be, and thus in order to discover my inner self, I need to understand what I am experiencing.
After reading Kempton’s article, I am more conscious about how my attitude can influence my identity. As long as I am well-grounded into my beliefs and, as Kempton puts it, “my inner core of goodness” (Kempton 59), then losing my identity in any unstable environment would be not be possible.