The Windshield Wiper

Yesterday I was driving my vehicle in heavy rain on I-95.

I had the self-driving capability engaged.

A few minutes later, I realized something strange:

The windshield wipers were not on.

Rain was covering my view.
But the car was still driving smoothly.

And suddenly a thought appeared:

The car does not “see” the way I see.

It has cameras, sensors, systems.
Its awareness of the road is not dependent on my windshield.

And that immediately reminded me of Ramana Maharshi.

We spend most of life believing:
“I am this body.”
“I am this personality.”
“I am this mind.”

But Ramana Maharshi kept pointing toward something much simpler:

There is an awareness behind all of this.

The body changes.
The mind changes.
Thoughts change.
Emotions change.

But the awareness that notices all of it remains the same.

Like cars changing over time.

A small car.
A fast car.
An old car.
A new car.

Different vehicles.
Same “I” sitting inside.

As children, we had a child’s body.
Now we have an older body.

Yet something still quietly feels:
“I am.”

That basic sense of being has always been there.

The body is like the car.

The mind is like the windshield.

Thoughts are like rain.

Sometimes the windshield is clear.
Sometimes it is covered.
Sometimes we panic because we cannot see properly.

But awareness itself is still there.

Untouched.

Maybe this is why Ramana Maharshi kept asking:

“Who am I?”

Not:
“What is my role?”
“What is my success?”
“What is my story?”

But:
Who is aware of all these things changing?

Yesterday, somewhere on I-95 in the rain,
a windshield wiper became a quiet reminder:

The vehicle changes.

The weather changes.

The windshield changes.

But the awareness remains the same.