Just Be Yourself, Nothing Else or Anything More

He became a Mormon, a Wiccan and then a Bahai,

Yet this failed to quieten his deep inner cry.

He then became a Christian, a Muslim, and, later, a Jew,

But soon he began hankering to become something new.

So, he became a Sikh, a Hindu, and then a Buddhist,

And then 'Taoist' he soon added to this quite long list.

Thereafter, he became a follower of the great Confucius,

Yet even after this he continued to feel atrocious.

He did this all hoping a god up in the sky to please

So that from his torment he'd gain permanent release.

He was a monk for a while, and later became a priest,

But none of this, too, changed him in the least.

He experimented also with what's called ‘New Age’,

But this, too, did nothing whatsoever to assuage

The flames of anguish that burned deep within.

Oh the truly miserable state he found himself in!

In this way, he went on to spend much of his life,

In a desperate effort to quell his inner strife,

Moving from one religion and on to another,

Hoping that in some way this would smother

The torment deep inside and the searing pain

Which he feared might soon drive him insane.

Then one day, a voice within, kind and yet strong,

Whispered to him, saying, “You’ve got it all wrong.

No religion, and no other such identity

Can ever cure you of your deep anxiety.

Think of the decades that you have squandered,

Aimlessly meandering, far have you wandered!

Your religious somersaults, you must know,

Haven’t in the least helped you to grow.

Your inner self has remained just the same,

This being the case, stop this foolish game.

Stop it at once, I must firmly insist.

In this madness I won’t let you persist.

‘Not in any religion or other such system of belief

Will you find what you seek, which is true relief.

Just be yourself, nothing else or anything more.

This is the answer you’ve long been searching for.

‘You’ is the only identity that God has given you,

It’s also the only one that you can be sure is true,

So, ‘you’ is the only thing that you should be,

Don’t seek for yourself any other identity.

Just be who you are, plain and simple you.

There's nothing more than this that you need to do.

No rat, you know, ever seeks to become a hare,

No does any fish pine to become a bear,

They're content being as they were made to be,

This is so obvious, it's so plain to see.

So, too, to you I now have to say,

Be just yourself, be just the way

That God Almighty fashioned you.

To yourself in this way you be true.

Why seek instead to be something that you are not?

Why in the trap of false identities seek to be caught?

Know who you truly are and then be just that way.

It’s all you need to do and be, I confidently say.

Your own self you must now search for and find.

This alone will bring calm to your troubled mind

And fill the vacuum that’s lying deep in your heart.

Although you’re past 50, it’s not too late to start.

“Gain from various religions any goodness you might find,

But don’t in a tiny religious box yourself tightly bind.

From religions take what is good and ignore what is not

(In all of them both aspects you'll likely find a lot).

Accept goodness from every source: it’ll help you to grow.

Goodness knows no boundaries, this you should know.

Based on this, I would say, please don’t confine

Yourself to just one identity, to just one narrow line,

To just one belief system or to just one religion.

Seek, instead, to cultivate a universal vision,

And as you do this, learn that you are simply the Soul.

Let realizing this your true identity be your principal goal.