What are you holding onto when you think of your “self”? We often cling to a specific version of our identity as if it were a solid, permanent thing. However, as Buddhist philosophy reminds us, the self that interacts with the world is a fluid construct—an ever-shifting stream of thoughts, physical cells, and social roles.
In his lectures, Swami Vivekananda challenged our attachment to personal identity by highlighting its absurdity through the lens of time. He famously remarked:
“Some people are so afraid of losing their individuality. Wouldn’t it be better for the pig to lose his pig-individuality if he can become God? Yes. But the poor pig does not think so at the time. Which state is my individuality? When I was a baby sprawling on the floor trying to swallow my thumb? Was that the individuality I should be sorry to lose? Fifty years hence I shall look upon this present state and laugh, just as I now look upon the baby state. Which of these individualities shall I keep?”
While the world focuses on the “mask,” Vedanta invites us to look deeper. Our true nature is not the collection of labels we project—career, gender, nationality, or even our personality. These are merely fragments of our true Self. In truth, the fundamental consciousness within you is not distinct from the fundamental consciousness of your pet or any other living being. This is the truth of Advaita, or Oneness.
When Vivekananda speaks of the pig having the choice of “becoming” God, he is speaking figuratively. The “poor pig” is God, and so are you, right now. No becoming is necessary; you are already that. Time, space, and causation cannot touch the eternal essence that you are.
What you are “losing” each moment is merely the false personal identity you presently identify with. Do not be afraid of losing this mask. Focus instead on the inherent blessedness that you already are.
