Time for a broader perspective of your "Self"

Beyond your identity (name, age, nationality, family, job, inclination, etc, etc,), do you know who you are? Even sustainability (and spiritual identity!) are identities we take on according to our likes, desires, influences, need to do "good" and share, ego, and past actions. Now, suppose, all of that is taken away from you - what would you have left?

In that context, where did you come from? Who are you? How long are you going to live? Where are you going to go after this? Ever thought about it?

It's very easy to answer all the above quickly from an intellectual standpoint made from knowledge obtained from books/such sources. However, "experiencing" this "knowledge" is more important than just understanding it from the "mind". Before religions got corrupted with power and human ego needs, their role in the society was to encourage individuals to pursue and seek this exact "experience". Now, most religions have become blockages rather than stepping stones.

As a result, the so-called "modern man", especially one living in urban areas with urban influences, feels proud to throw away their cultural and religious teachings (the real teaching and not the made-up/altered ones!) and call themselves "modern", delighted in his/her unencumbered state. Unfortunately, it's like throwing the baby with the bathwater!

Now, devoid of a soothing background of any cultural or religious or ancestral values, we are left to grapple with ourselves as our lifestyles get increasingly fast-paced, our work, societal and family pressures skyrocket, and our individual identities get stacked up dangerously as a cover-up looking like it might crumble at the slightest touch.

Fortunately, thanks to the many good souls who have taken it upon themselves to "awaken" the "modern man", we have so many schools and gurus now trying to teach ways to help people discover thy "Self" - whether it is meditation, yoga, self-introspection, energy work or any other activity that brings us closer to ourselves. Unfortunately, these schools and gurus are also facing the same pressures of the current time and end up either confusing us even more OR completely disillusioning us with their strict rules, compliance mandates and "almost-a-new-religion-in-the-making" kind of functioning!

So, where/who do we turn to then? Who can be our real guides who can help us know our "Self"?

And most importantly, why is it crucial and urgent to do this NOW (not when you get old, not next year, not tomorrow, but NOW)?