Role Identity

From the very first breath, we begin collecting roles.

The mother. The brother. The daughter.

The funny one, the shy one.

The doctor, the gardener, the dreamer.

Then come the other role identities — our nation, our faith, our culture, our beliefs — each one stitched gently, or sometimes forcefully, onto the fabric of who we think we are.

Over time, we start to mistake these threads for our skin.

We believe our survival, our worth, depends on them.

And so, we hold tight.

We defend them, protect them, even when they cause us pain.

For centuries, humanity has done this — clinging to our badges, forgetting what lies beneath.

But beneath it all, before every title and every name,

we are something simpler, purer —

a human being.

Yes, I may wear many roles in this life.

But none of them can separate me

from the quiet truth at my core.

When we truly remember what it means to be human,

we begin to see ourselves in one another.

We all feel. We all ache.

We all laugh, cry, love, and long.

The roles we play are just that — roles.

I can dance in and out of them,

I can honor them, enjoy them, release them.

And if one day, a role fades, changes, or disappears,

I will still remain.

Not the title, not the story,

but the essence.

A human being —

whole, alive, and free.

As an Intuitive Counsellor,

I help guide others back to this quiet wisdom —

to their own intuition,

to the truth of their authentic self.

— Natasha

Intuitive Counsellor and Teacher of Presence

(Eckhart Tolle’s School of Awakening)

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