Truth Is Concealed in the ‘I Am’

A man admits not understanding the King Lear/John Smith metaphor, trying to relate it to Batman and Bruce Wayne. After clarification from Rupert that it’s about the actor and the part they play, he then asks about Rupert’s careful use of language – specifically saying ‘I am feeling sad’ rather than ‘I am sad’. Rupert confirms this is intentional, explaining that the separate self feels ‘I am sad’, while in reality, ‘I’ feels sadness – sadness is what I know, not what I am. Just as we don’t say ‘I am the sound’ when hearing an airplane but rather ‘I hear the sound’, similarly sadness is what we know, not what we are. If sadness were what we are, it would always be present, but nobody is always sad. He encourages experimenting with different formulations (‘I am sad’ versus ‘I feel sad’) to notice how words condition experience, emphasising that in the phrase ‘I am sad’, the truth is concealed in the ‘I am’ – all that’s necessary is to emphasise that instead of the sadness.

From event 09 - 16 March, 2025 Seven-Day Retreat at Mercy Center, 9–16 March 2025

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