The Art Of Who We Are

A sample of The Art Of Who We Are

The Art of Who We Are

Robert W. Dean

Thought Catalog Books · thoughtcatalog.com

Copyright © 2024 Robert W. Dean.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or any means, electronic or mechanical, without prior written consent and permission from Thought Catalog.

Published by Thought Catalog Books, an imprint of Thought Catalog, a digital magazine owned and operated by The Thought & Expression Co. Inc., an independent media organization founded in 2010 and based in the United States of America. For stocking inquiries, contact stockists@shopcatalog.com.

Produced by Chris Lavergne and Noelle Beams
Art direction and design by KJ Parish
Creative editorial direction by Brianna Wiest
Circulation management by Isidoros Karamitopoulos

thoughtcatalog.com | shopcatalog.com

First Edition, Limited Edition Print
Printed in the United States of America

ISBN 978-1-949759-92-1

Contents

• DEDICATION 5
• FOREWORD 7
• INTENTION 9
• WHOLENESS 11
• CHILDLIKE 17
• ONENESS 20
• SEPARATION 25
• ILLUSION 31
• BROKEN 34
• PROGRAMMING 38
• ACCEPTANCE 45
• HONESTY 49
• SHADOW 52
• HONORING 56
• EXPECTATIONS 61
• UNEARTHING 65
• RETURN—YOUR JOURNEY BACK TO WHOLENESS 69
• NOW 75
• YOU 83
• NATURE 88
• ENOUGH 91
• IDENTITY 98
• HEALING 105
• ALCHEMY 112
• FORGIVENESS 116
• NAVIGATING 120
• LIVE 125
• AUTHENTICITY 129
• DESIRE 134
• JOY 138
• HOME 143
• SHINE 146
• FREEDOM 149
• INFINITE POSSIBILITIES 152
• THE END 157
• CONCLUSION 160

Dedication

For my radiant wife, Colby, who fills my days with light and love.

And for my heart, my sage, my most profound teacher—my feral son Wylder Dean. In your eyes, I rediscover the world each day, and through your wisdom, I am ever guided back to what truly matters.

You both are the north stars in my sky, guiding me home, always.

To my grandfathers, Pa Dean and Mikey Pumphrey, who departed during the crafting of this work. You both always believed in me. You stood as towering oaks in the landscape of my life, providing warmth and strength, allowing me to grow and flourish. The moments we shared—your laughter, your smiles, and the wisdom you imparted—are deeply etched into my being, sacred chapters that continue to guide and illuminate my path. Your presence, though missed, remains a constant source of inspiration and love, guiding me with an invisible hand.

Foreword

I grew up on a ranch, down a long dirt road outside a small town without a single stoplight. I didn’t have any neighbors; my best friends were my parents, my sister, my horse, our dog Sweetie, and a couple of barn cats. I loved living this way. We didn’t have a TV, and I didn’t care. I’d put on my cowboy hat and boots (sometimes nothing else); from daylight to dark, the earth was my playground. You would be surprised how long one can entertain himself with nothing more than a stick and a mud puddle. One of my favorite things to do was to crawl onto the roof of our barn and stare into the sky. I’d lay there for what felt like days and just watch the clouds roll and turn as they sailed down their way. I didn’t care what time it was or if I had eaten lunch. I was just there, soaking it all up. I can still remember how perfect that warm sun felt touching my skin while that cool, gentle breeze flowed over me. Life was pulsing all around me. It was magical. It was free, and I was alive.

Many years, many miles, and many lessons later, I still find that my sanctuary is staring up into that sky and pondering the many mysteries of this existence we call life.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve had this feeling inside of me. A feeling that felt like a calling. It is as subtle as a faint whisper that utters from the depth of my being and floats across my awareness like that gentle breeze from on top of the barn. In rare moments it screams out to me, while other times, I fear that it’s been silenced forever. However, just like that breeze, it always reemerges to let me know that it is still there.

It is a calling that asks questions as much as it gives answers. It says, you are here to do something, while also asking: who are you? What is important to you? What do you want to do with your time here on this earth? I believe this is why I continue to gaze into the sky. I’ve been searching for answers to the questions that continue to ring in my heart. I like to think many of us have this same deep sense of wonder inside of us.

Intention

In my countless moments gazing up at the expansive sky, I’ve grappled with a profound enigma that seems to haunt humanity. This deep-seated wound is the catalyst for wars and genocide, yet it also breeds self-doubt, fear, and insecurity within us. After much reflection, I arrived at a simple but profound revelation. A single word...Separation. It’s the disconnection from who and what we truly are that created this perceived wound. As we embark on this exploration together, I stand beside you not as a wise man, but as a companion in the journey, my heart open, navigating my own cycle of death and rebirth. Let us be like lanterns piercing the darkness. Whether your inner voice whispers a quest for peace or roars with the need to unearth your authentic self, embrace that intention. Let it be our guiding light, softly illuminating our path. Together, we will peel back the layers of our perceived identities, creating space for the awakening of our true selves.

1. Wholeness

Consider the tree in the forest. Tall, unapologetic, brimming with a kind of elegance that is neither conceited nor understated. It’s simply there, whole in its existence. There’s no part of it striving to be more or less than what it is. It is a lesson in grace, a paragon of being. And yet, when we turn the mirror on ourselves, our eyes falter and waver. We see fractures where there should be unity. Why this disparity?

Wholeness isn’t a piecemeal construction; it’s not something you can tear apart and reassemble. Wholeness is about recognizing the innate completeness within you. It is the calm acceptance that you are not a scattered puzzle to be solved or a problem to be fixed. It’s understanding that you are inherently whole in all your intricacies and simplicities. Your value isn’t affixed to your job title, relationships, dreams, or failures. It’s in the very fabric of your being.

Let’s dismantle the idea that wholeness is a destination. In life’s grand tapestry, we don’t need to chase milestones or hoard accolades to be ‘whole.’ There’s no checkbox to mark, no ribbon to cross. You’re born into wholeness; you live in it and ultimately return to it. It’s not a state to be achieved but rather a truth to be embraced.

The elegance of wholeness is in its authenticity. It’s about stripping away societal masks and embracing the core of your being. It’s seeing the beauty in your vulnerabilities, the strength in your soft spots, and the wisdom in your perceived imperfections. Wholeness isn’t about fixing what’s ‘wrong’ with you; it’s about honoring everything that’s right.

We often wander through life, captives of our conditioning. We equate wholeness with achievement, wealth, or recognition. We chase shadows, thinking they lead to the substance of fulfillment. But just as a flower doesn’t strive to bloom, we don’t need to strain towards wholeness. It’s already ours.

Our true nature is at peace with itself, wholly present in each moment. Just as the tree in the forest doesn’t question its place or its worth, we, too, can stand rooted in our authenticity. The journey to wholeness isn’t about adding layers; it’s about peeling them away. It’s a profound unlearning of the lies that told us we were anything but perfect.

Remember, you’re not a fragmented entity waiting to be healed. You’re a symphony, each note vital, each silence profound. You’re a masterpiece of existence, not because of what you’ve done or will do but because of who you are. And who you are is enough.

As you walk through this exploration, hold this truth close: You’re not an enigma to be deciphered, nor a wound to be stitched. You’re the art of life itself, beautifully whole and wholly beautiful. This is the essence of your being. This is the art of who you are. When you gaze at a tree standing tall in the forest, you do not see it as broken, incomplete, or less than perfect. You simply accept it as it is, noticing the unique patterns of its bark, the rustle of its leaves, and the way it sways gently in the wind. This tree, just like every other being in nature, is a perfect example of wholeness. It is complete and perfect in its own unique existence. If we can perceive this natural wholeness in a tree, why do we often fail to see the same in ourselves?

So, what exactly is wholeness? At its core, wholeness is acknowledging and accepting our completeness, just as we are. It is the understanding that we, as individuals, are not fragmented or broken, regardless of our past experiences or future aspirations. It is recognizing that we are inherently complete, regardless of societal measures of success, worth, or value. Our worth is not dependent on what we do, what we have, or how others perceive us. We are worthy and complete simply because we exist.

This chapter will delve deep into the concept of wholeness, exploring its beauty and truth and how it relates to our true nature. It will challenge the common societal narratives that suggest we are incomplete or lacking in some way, providing a fresh perspective that empowers us to fully embrace and appreciate our inherent wholeness.

The beauty of wholeness lies in its simplicity. It is about appreciating and accepting ourselves as we are in the present moment. It’s about finding beauty in our strengths and weaknesses, our achievements and failures, and our joys and sorrows. The beauty of wholeness emerges when we learn to see ourselves in our entirety, accepting every aspect of ourselves with compassion and understanding.

In embracing our wholeness, we recognize that we are not defined by our achievements or failures. We understand that our worth is not determined by our performance in various areas of life, such as work, relationships, or social status. In our wholeness, we find freedom from societal pressures and expectations. This freedom allows us to live authentically, embracing and expressing our true selves without fear of judgment or rejection.

The truth of wholeness is that it’s not something to be achieved or earned. It’s not a status to be reached or a goal to be checked off. The truth of wholeness is that it is our inherent state of being. We are born whole, we live whole, and we die whole. This might seem contrary to the common narrative we are fed, which tells us we need to strive, struggle, and achieve in order to become ‘whole.’

Our true nature is inherently whole. This truth is evident when we observe the natural world. Every being, every element in nature, exists in a state of wholeness. A flower does not strive to become more than it is; it simply grows, blooms, and withers in its own time, embodying its wholeness at every stage of its existence. Just like the flower, we are whole in every moment of our lives.

However, societal conditioning and personal experiences often lead us to forget this inherent wholeness. We learn to see ourselves through the lens of judgment, criticism, and comparison, which leads us to perceive ourselves as lacking or incomplete. We may spend our entire lives seeking wholeness outside of ourselves, not realizing that it is already within us.

We do not need to seek or strive for wholeness because we already possess it. Just like the tree in the forest, we are perfect and complete in our existence. The journey to wholeness is not about becoming more but about unlearning the false beliefs and societal conditioning that made us believe we were ever less than whole to begin with.

Remember, you are not a broken piece of something bigger waiting to be fixed or completed. You are the whole in all its grandeur and complexity. You are a unique manifestation of life, complete and perfect in your existence. Your wholeness is not dependent on your circumstances, your achievements, or your failures. You are whole simply because you are.

In the following segments, we will delve deeper into the journey towards recognizing and embracing our inherent wholeness. We will explore the barriers that prevent us from seeing our wholeness and learn how to break through them. We will discuss the practices and attitudes that can help us reconnect with our wholeness, and we will discover the profound peace and joy that comes with embracing our true, whole selves.

So, as you embark on this journey, remember: You are not broken. You are not incomplete. You are not less than. You are whole, just as you are. And this is The Art of Who We Are.