Identifying with thought card

Identifying with thought Spiritual teachers and traditions such as Eckhart Tolle, Michael Singer, Deepak Chopra, Buddhism and Hinduism say your true identity is the consciousness that notices your thoughts. They talk of two inner selves..... 1) A conscious self that is the real you. The you that exists in the present moment and is not lost in a stream of thoughts. 2) The 'egoic' and unconscious self that is distracted by thoughts, where the focus is on the illusionary past and future. It is so easy to live our lives following our thoughts and identifying with them. I do this and find myself lost in thoughts of past and future, an imagined reality, none of which is real. If I can become a presence which is the awareness of my thoughts, I find a place separate from thought and a place rooted in the present moment, where reality is. As i write, the Olympics are on TV and I find myself watching sports I have barely heard of. I think one of the reasons these athletes are so compelling to watch is not only the amazing skills they display, but because they draw you into the present moment. They are not distracted or overwhelmed by thought and by watching them, I think we are witnessing someone totally in the present moment. For a few brief moments we share a consciousness, unseparated by thought. In the painting I am holding up to the world my 'egoic' and unconscious self. It is conditioned by the thoughts of past and future. It identifies with the illusion of a separate self, while the figure below is connected to the stillness of the tomb, where the present moment connects us all.