The smallest question with
the longest answer...
'Who are you?' This is the most frequently asked question you encounter in your life. 'Tell me about yourself' or 'Introduce yourself' are other variations of this question. Heck, even facebook asks you to describe yourself under a section called 'About you'. Wherever you go, whoever you meet, this is the first question to be addressed. Only after that, you move on to other topics of discussion.
the longest answer...
'Who are you?' This is the most frequently asked question you encounter in your life. 'Tell me about yourself' or 'Introduce yourself' are other variations of this question. Heck, even facebook asks you to describe yourself under a section called 'About you'. Wherever you go, whoever you meet, this is the first question to be addressed. Only after that, you move on to other topics of discussion.
When we answer this question, our first response is our name. But, is that your identity? Your name? Is that all that you are? There are many people with the same name as mine, but they are not all me. So my name can't be who I am. At most, it can only be a little part of who I am.
My face and this body that I live in are the first things that anyone who sees me notices. They see my height, my weight, my skin colour and all other such physical attributes. So, do my physical features define who I am? I don't think so. No, they don't. These don't tell you anything about me, so no, this is not just who I am. But my expressions, my movements and my aura do tell you a little about me but only if you pay really close attention. Great observation is required to receive and interpret these subtle signs and only a few people bother enough to do so. So, the subtler physical features are a part of my identity.
Now suppose you are in a job interview and the interviewer asks you about yourself, then how do you respond? You tell them your name, qualifications, degrees and other things of the like. So, does that mean that you are your degrees? But, there are so many more things you do, can do, want to do, are learning to do that has no relation with all of these degrees. Are those of zero value? No, they are not. I would even go as far as saying that those are of more value since you did these for yourself, without any greed of a 'degree' to show off, because you put your heart into it and loved doing it. So, the things you do also become a part of who you are, even though degrees don't. For instance, your understanding of engineering is a part of you, but your B.Tech degree is not. It is the knowledge that matters, not a piece of paper.
Now, you meet someone at a company or business party. What do you tell them? You tell them about your job, the department you work in. So, for them you become 'The DGM from the Marketing Department'. Is that all you are? Do you become a non entity outside of work? What happens once you leave your workplace? You are still here, alive, breathing, thinking, present. You are here and you still do have an identity. Maybe not the one of the tag of 'The DGM', but something. So, your work, again, just becomes a part of who you are, not your complete identity.
In a family function, maybe, everyone won't know your name or other particulars about you. How do they know you? They know you as his son or her daughter or her husband or his wife. The children know you as his/her father/mother. So, are you your relations? Are you just that? A father, a husband, a mother or a wife? No, you are beyond that. You are so much more too. That doesn't mean that your relationships with others are meaningless. These are important, but these are not the only things that you are. So, again, relationships become a part of you.
You must have opinions about various issues. Your thoughts and opinions about everything is your brain child. When you have conversations with people about these things, then they start relating you with your thoughts and that is fair enough. These thoughts, thus, become a part of you. But, no one can know each and every thought that ever crossed your mind, except you. Your feelings for various people, about different issues and in all your situations are a huge part of you. Since you are human, your feelings govern your thoughts and actions. This makes your feelings a great part of who you are too. You might attempt to talk about your feelings to others and they might even empathize or sympathize with you, but they can't ever feel exactly what you are feeling. So, these feelings become a very intimate part of you. I think that the thoughts in your mind and the feelings in your heart are the greatest part of your soul's identity.
So, finally, who are you? Are you your name, or are you your face and body, or is it your expressions that you are, or are you your degrees or works or knowledge, or your job or relationships or are your thoughts, opinions and feelings your identity?
You are none of the above alone. You are all of these and a lot more simultaneously. You are a combination of so many things, both little and large that you could write a book as the answer to this and yet not be done because you find new things about you everyday. And guess what, no one else can tell you who you are. It is only you who can decide that. And even more, no one can know you as well as you do. Doesn't matter how close you are to them, how much you have told them about yourself or how observant they have been. You are the only one who knows you. Actually, that's all that you need too. You don't need anyone else to know you. You need only yourself. And everyday, you will find new, beautiful, mysterious, unique parts of you to love. Never stop discovering yourself and never worry about what others think you are. The only opinion that matters is that you have of yourself. So, keep on finding new rooms of your soul to fill with your love. Cheers to the magic that you are.
Till next time, yours
Pragya :)
My face and this body that I live in are the first things that anyone who sees me notices. They see my height, my weight, my skin colour and all other such physical attributes. So, do my physical features define who I am? I don't think so. No, they don't. These don't tell you anything about me, so no, this is not just who I am. But my expressions, my movements and my aura do tell you a little about me but only if you pay really close attention. Great observation is required to receive and interpret these subtle signs and only a few people bother enough to do so. So, the subtler physical features are a part of my identity.
Now suppose you are in a job interview and the interviewer asks you about yourself, then how do you respond? You tell them your name, qualifications, degrees and other things of the like. So, does that mean that you are your degrees? But, there are so many more things you do, can do, want to do, are learning to do that has no relation with all of these degrees. Are those of zero value? No, they are not. I would even go as far as saying that those are of more value since you did these for yourself, without any greed of a 'degree' to show off, because you put your heart into it and loved doing it. So, the things you do also become a part of who you are, even though degrees don't. For instance, your understanding of engineering is a part of you, but your B.Tech degree is not. It is the knowledge that matters, not a piece of paper.
Now, you meet someone at a company or business party. What do you tell them? You tell them about your job, the department you work in. So, for them you become 'The DGM from the Marketing Department'. Is that all you are? Do you become a non entity outside of work? What happens once you leave your workplace? You are still here, alive, breathing, thinking, present. You are here and you still do have an identity. Maybe not the one of the tag of 'The DGM', but something. So, your work, again, just becomes a part of who you are, not your complete identity.
In a family function, maybe, everyone won't know your name or other particulars about you. How do they know you? They know you as his son or her daughter or her husband or his wife. The children know you as his/her father/mother. So, are you your relations? Are you just that? A father, a husband, a mother or a wife? No, you are beyond that. You are so much more too. That doesn't mean that your relationships with others are meaningless. These are important, but these are not the only things that you are. So, again, relationships become a part of you.
You must have opinions about various issues. Your thoughts and opinions about everything is your brain child. When you have conversations with people about these things, then they start relating you with your thoughts and that is fair enough. These thoughts, thus, become a part of you. But, no one can know each and every thought that ever crossed your mind, except you. Your feelings for various people, about different issues and in all your situations are a huge part of you. Since you are human, your feelings govern your thoughts and actions. This makes your feelings a great part of who you are too. You might attempt to talk about your feelings to others and they might even empathize or sympathize with you, but they can't ever feel exactly what you are feeling. So, these feelings become a very intimate part of you. I think that the thoughts in your mind and the feelings in your heart are the greatest part of your soul's identity.
So, finally, who are you? Are you your name, or are you your face and body, or is it your expressions that you are, or are you your degrees or works or knowledge, or your job or relationships or are your thoughts, opinions and feelings your identity?
You are none of the above alone. You are all of these and a lot more simultaneously. You are a combination of so many things, both little and large that you could write a book as the answer to this and yet not be done because you find new things about you everyday. And guess what, no one else can tell you who you are. It is only you who can decide that. And even more, no one can know you as well as you do. Doesn't matter how close you are to them, how much you have told them about yourself or how observant they have been. You are the only one who knows you. Actually, that's all that you need too. You don't need anyone else to know you. You need only yourself. And everyday, you will find new, beautiful, mysterious, unique parts of you to love. Never stop discovering yourself and never worry about what others think you are. The only opinion that matters is that you have of yourself. So, keep on finding new rooms of your soul to fill with your love. Cheers to the magic that you are.
Till next time, yours
Pragya :)
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