What Are You, Charlie Brown?

What are you? You cannot really know. Look beneath the simple surface of "Of course I know, my name is Charlie Brown; I live on 123 Old Elm Street; I come from a long line of Browns". Beneath all that simple surface noise what can you find? There is the hidden life of Charlie Brown. There are the habits and the likes and dislikes of Charlie Brown. That's all the tastes, the thoughts and beliefs that Charlie Brown identifies with. But what's beneath that? There is the body. There are organs and bones, there are cellular structures, there are elements; molecules, atoms, protons, neutrons electrons, there are quarks. What are all those? Can you call them Charlie Brown? And if you are ultimately quarks, or light energy, or mind, or consciousness, or whatever, what are those? And where do those aspects exist? Is there a time and space where they exist? Where is this time? Where is this space?

So, what are you really, Charlie Brown?

And when you go outside with Snoopy's food and watch your pup wag up with excitement, eyes glinting with loving hunger (hungry love?), just what is this magical event? What is Snoopy? What is food? what is the warmth of sunshine, smells, sights, sounds, touch, taste? What is excitement, hunger, love? You can say all scientifically, "Well, my dog Snoopy, his food, the sunshine, the senses, all these are atomic energy inter-playing within my experience". And you can say "Excitement, hunger, love, these are the emotional reactions to the elements as they interact with the senses". O.K. then, what the hell IS all that Mr. Smartypants, Charlie Brown? Just what the heaven are you Mr. Brown?

And as you step out into the sun, Snoopy running at your feet, looking up, hungrily loving (loving hunger?), when and where does this event happen? One step in the miraculous fullness of these changing phenomena disappears, and another begins and simultaneously ends, and on and on and on. Where and when are these passing moments Charlie Brown? Where and when do they exist? To where and when did they go? Will they ever appear again? No! Were they ever even here, Charlie Brown?

Just what in heaven/hell is this, and just what the awful, awesome, mind blowing beautitude are you, Charlie Brown?