“It is not right to make an incantation of ‘Who am I?’ Put the question only once and then concentrate on finding the source of the ego and preventing the occurrence of thoughts. . . Suggestive replies to the inquiry, such as ‘I am Siva,’ are not to be given to the mind during meditation. The true answer will come of itself. . . If you keep on asking the reply will come.”
— Ramana Maharshi
The most common response to a question whose answer we want is to Google it (or to ask ChatGPT). This may help us find an answer quickly, but what does that achieve? Merely this: we have answers that anyone can get. And when we do this over and over again, we collect a bunch of superficial answers to trivial questions.
Now reflect on the time when you didn’t rush to find an answer but kept asking the question, as Maharshi suggests. What happened? Bright chances are, you quieted the monkey mind, observed things and combined them with your experiences, and eventually had an “Aha!” moment that you couldn’t wait to share it with the world. You wanted to revel in the novelty of the idea. Your discovery, not your ego, took center stage.
This is how you must treat every important question. Like “What should I do with my life?”, “How should I treat people?” Or, “What are my strengths and weaknesses?” Rather than hastily seeking out Google or other humans, give the answer space to arrive from within. Keep refining that answer as and when you learn more about life.
This is how you subsume your ego and tap into the latent knowledge inside you. This is how you build a life based on your strengths and learning.
As Marian Seldes wrote:
“There is nothing ‘out there’ to go and get. There is no part, no career, no opportunity for which you should be searching and scrounging and coveting. All of the preparation is within, and you keep yourself mentally and physically fit; you remain generous with yourself and others; you stay deeply in study about your craft. Whatever is yours will then arrive.”