We are obsessed with roles, stories, achievements, and identities.
We spend decades polishing them, defending them, losing sleep over them.
But none of this is who we truly are.
Across ancient wisdom traditions, one truth keeps reappearing: the essence of the self remains untouched.
The screen is never burned by the fire in the movie.
The mirror is never stained by the rain it reflects.
Think about it in your world:
- The boardroom conflict you replay at night is just a scene on the screen.
- The quarterly results that keep you awake are just another movie.
- The praise from shareholders or the criticism in the press - both flicker for a moment, then disappear.
But the screen itself - the awareness in which all of this unfolds - is never affected. It does not gain or lose value when the “movie” is good or bad.
Modern science quietly echoes the same.
- Neuroscience shows the “self” is largely a construction - a shifting pattern of memories, stories, and neural pathways.
- Quantum physics reminds us that beneath the changing appearances lies a field of infinite potential, unaffected by the forms it takes.
What evolves is not the essence.
What evolves is imagination - the endless play of identities through which consciousness explores itself.
Here’s the provocation:
- We spend our lives defending the movie, while ignoring the screen.
- We fight for our reflection, while forgetting the mirror.
- We cling to temporary roles, while overlooking the one thing we all share - the awareness that never changes.
Why does this matter for leaders?
Because the fear of losing control, power, or identity drives most leadership dysfunctions.
When you realize that the core of who you are is untouchable, you lead differently.
- You stop grasping for certainty.
- You stop mistaking your title for your worth.
- You begin to act from depth, not fear.
This isn’t abstract philosophy. It is the most practical challenge we face:
- Can you lead without confusing your role with who you are?
- Can you stay grounded when the story changes - success or failure, praise or blame?
We ignore this truth because it terrifies us.
And yet, if you dare to look, it frees you.