If this topic has already been addressed here, please revive that thread, because I would enjoy reading others' responses to the question. Either here or in another thread, I'd like to hear your answer to the question, and why.
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I was listening to an Audio Dharma podcast this morning, and the question was "Who are you?". The speaker went on to say that students of Buddhism will at first say, "I'm a plumber" or "I'm a mother" or (feeling clever) "I am Love" but all of these answer what they are, not who they are. Which got me to thinking...
For my answer, I first have to qualify my background and what certain words mean to me. I was raised Catholic, and taught that God is Perfect Good, Perfect Truth, Perfect Love, etc. Some of the other religions I've studied say similar things. Though I no longer profess to believe in God, I do believe that there is Perfection of Love, Goodness and Truth, and other such superlatives, in an abstract way. To understand what those ideals are, and align with them as much as an imperfect person can, seems to me to be of benefit to Society and myself.
Thus, I can still say the perfect prayer "Yes", in that I can still strive towards those ideals, even without an anthropomorphic supreme being. Of course, no one has a perfect grasp on perfection, and we all tend to misinterpret, ignore, or gloss over the painful stuff in our own unique way.
So my answer to "Who are you" is "I am the person who says "Yes" to Perfection, in an imperfect way, and you will best be able to distinguish me from others my my imperfect ways."
What say you?
Who are you?
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narya
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Who are you?
In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer. ~ Albert Camus
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Primula Baggins
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God made me; God loves me; God has a purpose for me. I may never find it, but it's there. Meanwhile, I dig in where I am and do what's in front of me.
“There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
I'm not so deep. I'm pretty much the sum of my experiences, mixed with my reaction to those experiences. I have no doubt that if I had been born in a different family/country/time and hod chosen to respond differently to the challenges, tragedies and blessings that came my way, I'd be a very different person. There's an essence of "me", but so much of me is circumstance and luck that I can't take much credit for who I am.
The Vinyamars on Stage! This time at Bag End
I don't know. 
It's really irksome, to not know something like this. I just try to be someone who is kind and helpful and useful. I know I am God's creature, and that helps me place myself in creation.
But sometimes I feel like I am just taking up space.
It's really irksome, to not know something like this. I just try to be someone who is kind and helpful and useful. I know I am God's creature, and that helps me place myself in creation.
But sometimes I feel like I am just taking up space.
"What do you fear, lady?" Aragorn asked.
"A cage," Éowyn said. "To stay behind bars, until use and old age accept them, and all chance of doing great deeds is gone beyond recall or desire.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
"A cage," Éowyn said. "To stay behind bars, until use and old age accept them, and all chance of doing great deeds is gone beyond recall or desire.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
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Primula Baggins
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Aren't we all?
Being alive is a huge gift. Figuring out exactly what to do with it can be a huge pain.
But I'd rather spend my time with people who are in the act of figuring this out rather than ones who KNOW without a moment of doubt EXACTLY what they AND EVERYONE ELSE should be doing with their lives.
Being alive is a huge gift. Figuring out exactly what to do with it can be a huge pain.
But I'd rather spend my time with people who are in the act of figuring this out rather than ones who KNOW without a moment of doubt EXACTLY what they AND EVERYONE ELSE should be doing with their lives.
“There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
This is a tough question for me right now. I'm trying not to let the whole turning 40 thing bug me, but it is. 
I don't want to be a pessimist, but I can see how easily I could slip into that. The number of sad, bitter, bad, awful things that I've seen or experienced is just naturally increasing as I get older. I hate to see my parents declining. They couldn't even do a simple hike/walk yesterday. My mom is acting battier and more annoying with every day. My dad is just sort of fading away.
I see the white hairs on my head, the increasing wrinkles, the beginnings of aches and pains that are just sort of always there. I've noticed just being more tired in general. For a person who has never enjoyed the blessing of being beautiful you might think this getting old thing wouldn't bug me as much. But it really does. What little beauty I had is waning.
So, um, who am I? I'm an outwardly cool, calm, and collected person, and I'm inwardly a mess.
(Too bad you all don't get to see the cool, calm, collected person! I think it would offset the emotional crap you have to read from me all of the time.)
I am also a child of God, trying my best to live a life with that as my focus. I know that God loves me and is concerned with even the minutiae of my life. IOW, He has plans for me, and I try to find those plans and live life as I go. (I'm thinking Micah 6:8, "He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?")
But that's a little off track. What am I? I'm God's creation. A soul.
Switchfoot says it rather memorably:
But I'm not sentimental
This skin and bones is a rental
And no one makes it out alive
Until I die I'll sing these songs
On the shores of Babylon
Still looking for a home
In a world where I belong
In fact, I'd say the whole song sums me up pretty well:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bk-3h8Ip0Xs
I don't want to be a pessimist, but I can see how easily I could slip into that. The number of sad, bitter, bad, awful things that I've seen or experienced is just naturally increasing as I get older. I hate to see my parents declining. They couldn't even do a simple hike/walk yesterday. My mom is acting battier and more annoying with every day. My dad is just sort of fading away.
I see the white hairs on my head, the increasing wrinkles, the beginnings of aches and pains that are just sort of always there. I've noticed just being more tired in general. For a person who has never enjoyed the blessing of being beautiful you might think this getting old thing wouldn't bug me as much. But it really does. What little beauty I had is waning.
So, um, who am I? I'm an outwardly cool, calm, and collected person, and I'm inwardly a mess.
(Too bad you all don't get to see the cool, calm, collected person! I think it would offset the emotional crap you have to read from me all of the time.)I am also a child of God, trying my best to live a life with that as my focus. I know that God loves me and is concerned with even the minutiae of my life. IOW, He has plans for me, and I try to find those plans and live life as I go. (I'm thinking Micah 6:8, "He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?")
But that's a little off track. What am I? I'm God's creation. A soul.
Switchfoot says it rather memorably:
But I'm not sentimental
This skin and bones is a rental
And no one makes it out alive
Until I die I'll sing these songs
On the shores of Babylon
Still looking for a home
In a world where I belong
In fact, I'd say the whole song sums me up pretty well:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bk-3h8Ip0Xs
Hey, what a coincidence, me too!Lalaith wrote:I'm an outwardly cool, calm, and collected person, and I'm inwardly a mess
I've been going to therapy for the last two months and in the short term, at least, most of that time has been spent uncovering how I'm an even bigger mess than I already thought I was. I wanna love somebody but I don't know how
I wanna throw my body in the river and drown
-The Decemberists
I wanna throw my body in the river and drown
-The Decemberists
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Voronwë the Faithful
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narya
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It would be interesting to make quotes of all these entries, unattributed, then have people try to figure out who goes with which quote. 
The answer to "What are you?", as in mother, engineer, imaginary friend, etc., is more distinguishing. The answer to "Who are you?" seems to be much more unified. Perhaps because we are a self selected group.
The answer to "What are you?", as in mother, engineer, imaginary friend, etc., is more distinguishing. The answer to "Who are you?" seems to be much more unified. Perhaps because we are a self selected group.
In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer. ~ Albert Camus
What I wrote yesterday but then shortened to the above was this:
I am the big ME that is behind everything that is the little me- my current physcial incarnation. The little me is known as Maria (rest of name removed)and has the DNA ID of whatever it is now. The little me is the sum of my life experiences to date.
The Big Me, the higher self, is ancient and eternal and has lived many lives, experiencing something different and (hopefully) important with each one. The little me can only remember this one life and is playing the cards I've been dealt this hand.
The Big Me is what's important. The little me lives flit past quickly and are .... ephemeral. Blink and you miss it sort of things. 
I am me.
Both of them.
edit: I really shouldn't have put my full name in there. It is removed.
I am the big ME that is behind everything that is the little me- my current physcial incarnation. The little me is known as Maria (rest of name removed)and has the DNA ID of whatever it is now. The little me is the sum of my life experiences to date.
The Big Me, the higher self, is ancient and eternal and has lived many lives, experiencing something different and (hopefully) important with each one. The little me can only remember this one life and is playing the cards I've been dealt this hand.
The Big Me is what's important. The little me lives flit past quickly and are .... ephemeral.
Blink and you miss it sort of things. I am me.
Both of them.
edit: I really shouldn't have put my full name in there. It is removed.
Last edited by Maria on Mon Jun 11, 2012 8:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Primula Baggins
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Delusions of grandeur much?Voronwë the Faithful wrote:I am.
“There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
