“But as we let go of our repetitive stories and fixed ideas about ourselves–particularly deep-seated feelings of “I’m not okay”–the armor starts to fall apart, and we open into the spaciousness of our true nature, into who we really are beyond the transitory thoughts and emotions. We see that our armor is made up of nothing more than habits and fears, and we begin to feel that we can let those go.” -Pema Chodron
So many of the people I meet have lived in their armor for so many years that they have forgotten about the person wearing it. They have completely identified with the armor, and are disconnected from the human underneath.
The armor becomes a prison. Their sense of who they are becomes defined by the armor’s “doings,” its strengths and weaknesses. They become identified with their athletic skill, or academic skill; identified with their transitory thoughts and emotions. By identified, I mean that they mistake who they are for the armor. They fuse with the armor, and their sense of who they are becomes super small. They have forgotten that they are in fact that which is looking through the armor.
How about you? What’s your armor look like? Has it become a prison? Would you benefit from letting some of it go?