Who am I?

An identity is something we all live with. With each passing day, our priorities change, our personality changes, we change. There is always an urge to improve, to be perform better, to set higher standards. Does this affect who we are? Does it change our identity? Does it change who we are? Or does it push us to who we actually are? The existentialism approach or the identity crisis?

There comes a point in one’s life that this question pops up and we also wonder if it is a right question, because we already have a name, a date of birth, an address, a nationality. The question totally shatters our world when we dig deep into ourselves, but this is the only way to achieve an identity, to find the essence of life and remain content with it.

Quite often we meet people and comment later “Look, how much she/he has changed.” Change is so visible and not accepted easily that people also think twice before changing any aspect of their life if they need to answer the question who she/he is?

I have identified 3 phases of life where one usually questions oneself

1. While making a career choice.
2. When someone says the truth about you.
3. When you meet a larger than life personality in person.

1. While making a career choice.

Who are you and what do you want to do with that information is strongly felt while choosing a career.

An identity is different from one’s character and personal choice. A career must being money and happiness. only if the true you chooses it, it is worth the effort. Thinking of who you are helps you identify your career.

What do you want to do? is a constantly asked question, and a strong one. The answer is sometimes straightforward, sometimes dodged. Adolescents find it difficult to deal with because they are still figuring themselves. Children, on the other hand promptly answer as they do not fear judgement. This judgement is one of the major causes of not finding the real you.

2. When someone says the truth about you

An argument, a fight, a deep conversation contain revelations. Pay strong attention to the words more than the tone. They contain profound observations. If you are hurt, it is usually because you are not able to accept the reality of the situation, and that drives home certain aspects of your personality or character you weren’t aware of.

We are all aware of our hard truths, accept it. That is the only way out. Trying to change who we are is an act. And remember, acting can be stressful.

In certain situations yes, one needs to act, but

Who we are and what we portray are sometimes contrary based on the situation, and that is being smart. But in the bargain, don’t lose the real you, because it would eventually show up.

3. When you meet a larger than life personality in person.

Meeting a larger than life personality like a sportsperson, scientist, author is an experience in itself. We want to know the real them, and are always eager to meet them in person. Why?? Because you think that they are different, that they are successful, that they are blessed, that they have an extra sparkle in their eye.

When you meet them, you feel you have met the real them. That brings in different emotions also questioning who you are, and why can’t you achieve such a larger than life personality. The environment around us triggers question on our existence.

In The Problem of Method, Sartre redefines the focus of existentialism as the individual understood as belonging to a certain social situation, but not totally determined by it. For the individual is always going beyond what is given, with his own aims and projects. https://iep.utm.edu/sartre-ex/#H5

In my understanding, Who we are depends on the social situation Or environment we are in. And a person will always go beyond what is epected from him with his own aims and goals.

Questy Musings is a musing with a question. I have certain questions that keep me busy when i have nothing to do. Sharing my thoughts aloud, I wonder if this post touched you and made you reflect upon certain aspects of your life, my blog, my write-up here has achieved its mission. Let me know who you are? See you around soon.

This post is a part of Blogchatter Half Marathon’ : https://www.theblogchatter.com/

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