IF I posed to you a simple question with the only requisite being that you reply with a simple Yes or No,  what answer would you give?

Your answer must be what you truly believe to be true. Ok, here is the question: Is the abstract important?

If your answer is ‘No’, then I can tell you now that there is no point in reading this article any further other than for the sake of curiosity and also if your answer is ‘No’, then you will never understand the concept of the ‘Inner Self’, because the ‘Inner Self’ by its very nature is abstract.

Let me explain why the answer ‘No’ is wrong. Can you see air? Answer, No! Can you smell it, taste it, touch it or hear it? Answer No! Can you live without it? No!

But air is abstract because you can’t see it, hear it, taste it, touch it, or smell it, and you can’t live without it. So air is important, so therefore abstract is important as it demonstrates something that is connected with our very survival.

If you asked me, ‘Who are you?’ I could answer – I am Roger Harty father, businessman, etc. etc. There may be many facets to that question.

But if you asked me ‘What are you?’ Now that is a ‘different kettle of fish altogether’ and is by far a better question to ask. The reason for this is that it is a much easier question to answer and will help to explain the concept of the ‘Inner Self’. Let me explain further.

If you and a friend went out on boat for a leisurely cruise in Tralee Bay and you got into difficulty and you got lost at sea – How would you be rescued?

Let’s take it as a ‘gimme’ that it is now night-time and that all the flares have been sent out and that the ‘Rescue Guards’ know that you are out there and are in a state of emergency alert. They would urgently call on a Sea King helicopter to spring into action.

It would have to be a ‘heat-seeking’ Sea King helicopter as it is night time. The heat-seeking device is operated by infra-red and will detect heat from the people on the boat.

The next important question is, ‘Why do our bodies give off heat?’ Answer: because we are alive. Next question is, ‘Why are we alive?’ Because we are breathing! But why are we breathing – Ultimately because we are energy.

I repeat WE ARE ENERGY and we give off heat because we behave like energy. So you and your friend can be detected by the heat-seeking helicopter as long as you are alive.

An important point to make here is that you are rescued only because you are living energy and it doesn’t matter what religious creed or colour you are; Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist etc. etc. or whether you are black or white – we are all equal in terms of energy.

So going back to the question, ‘What am I’? Answer: I am a ball of energy, thus I behave in the same manner as energy. Just like when we say it walks like a dog, jumps like a dog, eats like a dog, barks like a dog – Hey, because it is a dog.

When we meditate and connect with our bodies by using the breath or our senses (see, hear taste touch and smell) we connect with our true inner energies (feelings and emotions).

Break down the word Emotion – It is E- Motion i.e. Energy in Motion. We can only become truly aware of these energies when we ‘stay away’ from the ‘Thinking Mind’ through the process of meditation and mindfulness and thus the awareness of ‘Inner Self’ will arise.

You will never understand the ‘Inner Self’ through thoughts or using the ‘Thinking Mind’ just in the same way that you will never understand the concept of The Abstract.

We have already come to the conclusion that ‘The Abstract’ is important – so is the concept of ‘The Inner Self’.

Pay attention to it – it could save your life!

Next week I am going to write about J.D.I. (Just Do It )

• Roger Harty is a life coach and can be contacted on 087-6128336, on twitter at @Innerjoyz1 or by email rogharty@gmail.com