The Comment posted by "blader" gives the easy answer: you are who you say you
are. If you say you are "grey," then you are "grey." But I think you aren't
looking for the easy answer, or you wouldn't be asking! Of course, I also know
that you are only "grey" for the convenience of anonymity on Google Answers.
Perhaps you want to know whether I can divine other name(s) you go by, whether
by psychic ability, a knack at hacking into Google servers or personal
connections with the software gurus who manage the Google Answers nickname
system. I won't touch that one!
A Google search on:
"who am I"
turns up a lot of interesting references that may help you with your search for
identity.
For example, the teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi (a Hindu spiritual
leader from the early 20th century who lived in a cave) are quoted at length at
a website devoted to his teachings:
http://www.ramana-maharshi.org/whoamib.htm
The text is translated from the original Tamil ("Who am I" is "Nan Yar?" in
Tamil). I quote the first two of 28 points in his essay:
"1 . Who am I ?
The gross body which is composed of the seven humours (dhatus), I am not; the
five cognitive sense organs, viz. the senses of hearing, touch, sight, taste,
and smell, which apprehend their respective objects, viz. sound, touch, colour,
taste, and odour, I am not; the five cognitive sense-organs, viz. the organs of
speech, locomotion, grasping, excretion, and procreation, which have as their
respective functions speaking, moving, grasping, excreting, and enjoying, I am
not; the five vital airs, prana, etc., which perform respectively the five
functions of in-breathing, etc., I am not; even the mind which thinks, I am
not; the nescience too, which is endowed only with the residual impressions of
objects, and in which there are no objects and no functioning's, I am not.
2. If I am none of these, then who am I?
After negating all of the above-mentioned as 'not this', 'not this', that
Awareness which alone remains - that I am."
You can follow the rest at the above website.
If you prefer a Christian perspective, you might try the Freedom in Christ
website:
http://www.ficm.org/whoami.htm
The answer to the question "Who am I in Christ?" is divided into sections: "I
am Accepted," "I am Secure," "I am Significant." Each section is elaborated
with about 10 answers complete with biblical reference.
A Jewish view can be found at torah.org:
http://www.torah.org/learning/parsha-insights/5760/vayikra.html
For example in a discussion of Adam and Eve (Adom and Chava)in the Garden of
Eden, this site says:
"Then they ate from the Tree of Knowledge. They changed. Their clarity was
forever altered. Am I a soul? Am I a body? Who am I? Confusion. Blurred
perception of who and what they were. It's no longer a horse that's running
around naked. That just might be ME! They hid 'ki airom {because they were
naked}.'
The first sin--the root of all sins that follow. Confusion. Who am I? An over-
association with the body. An over-involvement with the body. How is it
corrected? A korbon is brought. The animal's body is burned. It should be my
body. That's not who I am. I am a soul. I have to begin to act accordingly. The
closeness (korbon) to Hashem is reestablished."
Moving away from religion, you can find some teacher guidance for addressing
this topic at the website of Channel 13 in New York City:
http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/lessons/whoami/
This is oriented to the high school level. To quote the introductory paragraph:
"Who am I? In this lesson, students reflect on this question through
discussion, writing and art. Students first define 'identity' and consider who
they are and what they value. Students then explore the work of two
photographers featured on an upcoming episode of Thirteen/WNET New York's
series EGG THE ARTS SHOW to see how they have dealt with the issue of identity.
As a culminating activity, students respond to the question 'Who am I?' using
photography, paint, clay, or collage."
Answers from 30 different perspectives (alchemy to Tarot cards) can be found in
the Skeptics Dictionary:
http://skepdic.com/tiwhoami.html
Perhaps you'd like to explore "Past Life Regression," the opening paragraph of
which is quoted below:
"Past life regression (PLR) is the alleged journeying into one's past lives
while hypnotized. While it is true that many patients recall past lives, it is
highly probable that their memories are false memories. The memories are from
experiences in this life, pure products of the imagination, intentional or
unintentional suggestions from the hypnotist, or confabulations."
"Who am I?" is also a game. See blogspot.com:
http://whois.blogspot.com/
And a career quiz! Check the website of Human Resources Canada:
http://worksearch.gc.ca/english/index.pl?tid=6
"Who am I?" is also a movie featuring Jackie Chan (Hong Kong, 1998). Several
capsule reviews are quoted at the Hong Kong Film Critics Society website
http://filmcritics.org.hk/whoami/review.html
One sample:
"The major plot line of the continual quest for self-identity is more
noteworthy than all the spectacles and daredevil stunts. Jackie Chan's
character mentions his father's teachings, learns the way to live life on
earth, and establishes a father-and-son relationship. But the character forgets
his relationship with his environment and other people. Curiously enough, this
situation is able to find a place in the labyrinth of post-97 political
identity. So Hongkongese, in the immediate aftermath of 1997, are still
troubled by "Who Am I?". Nothing is certain except Hong Kong is China's son.
For the individual, his own identity remains in a state of flux - ManAlone Ho"
Possible search terms:
"who am i"
"who am i" torah
"who am i" "Jackie Chan"
etc.
I appreciate that your search for personal identity can be a long and difficult
journey. I hope that one or more of these leads will steer you in a direction
which you find useful! |
