identity game

To explore the ideas presented in the previous post, an interesting exercise is to use another person to bounce off of; in contrast, the more commonly known meditation for this purpose is to repeat the question, "Who am I?" and to keep delving for deeper layers of insight. One way of practicing with another person might be to set a time limit, such as fifteen minutes, and have one partner ask, "Who are you?" The other answers with whatever comes to mind - "John," "a man," "a teacher," "a fool," "alive" - and when their answer is finished, their partner simply asks again, "Who are you?"

With another person to ask, "Who are you?" there is some advantage to offset the disadvantages of things like one's relationship with the other person coloring one's thought. It's much harder to become distracted, as opposed to the ease in which one's own mind can be distracted by the smallest passing though. And having another person to actually speak to can improve the concentration of someone who is more socially bent, and might even draw out something they might not have been able or up to approaching on their own.
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"When did the lemons learn the same creed as the sun?
When did smoke learn how to fly?"
-Pablo Neruda