Who Am I? . The answer to this question was at one time was considered the parmount developmental task of the "teen years", and the attempt to get it was considered the underlying cause of the characteristic rebellion of the those tumultuous, often tormented years. Indeed it is a very important question in the process of becoming an adult, it is a disasterous shame that , as far as the most, important question of that process, it is the wrong one. This is not my opinion it is a logical necessity, for how can we get even a poor answer to, "who am I?" , if we have not, first answered "What am I?" I would assert that the failure to ask, and begin to answer that question accruately is one of the primary reasons that the family humankind, is such an extremely disfunctional one. There is not a single area of human behavior at the individual level, the interpersonal interaction level, the behavior of groups, the acivity of societies, or the behavior of the species as a whole, that is not fucked up beyound anything recognizeable as truly human, at least as most of us like to define, parden me, as most of us assume human is humane. An assumption my friends that would have been impossible, had we known to ask the right question first. No answer to "who am I?" can ever be near hitting the mark, if it is answered in ignorance of "What am I?" first. The ignorant answers we all got to who am I" I emphatically state on ther authority of reason and logic, are the fundamental reason for traumatized "I/me/minds" the emnity and confusion between individuals, the us versus them mentalities of groups, social discrimination and ultimately and horrifically the planned, and carefully orchastrated whole sale murder of human beings in our most profane behavior, war! People assume that because I am a non-theist that I do not recognize as valid, the concept of sin, people could not be more wrong. This, that I've described is the true sinful state of human kind, for the meaning of the word, from which we get the english "sin", is, to miss the mark, or fall short of the acceptable standard, well look around, mans inhumanity to man is by far the rule, rather than the exception. Here is sin my friends and in plenty, to know these things, and to do nothing, that is sin, To have life, to walk on this barely encrusted ball of dirty molten iron and not strive to experience the wonder-fullness of life in the quintessentially amazing universe, to see others suffer, and to suffer ourselves calmly accepting that it is our lot in life, that is not human my friends, that is grotesque, and that is the mortal sin of our lives. By the authority that every individual human has, I task thee, here and now. [font="]What in this hell are you doing about it? [/font]
You are an appliance that we soley keep with our spare tv because we cannot get our favorite windsor pilates tape on dvd, other than that you are dispensable.
i am a landscape of infinite mazes. need i be more? what am i? just a strainge little guy who looks almost ordinary. where i am in my mind is much more interesting. why waste your time on "who" when there is infinite "where" to explore? =^^= .../\...
Dear good lady Cerridwen, Philosophical in origin? Yes. The intent of this post however is practical, and I feel, of an urgent priority to be taken seriously by people. The most accurate answer to the first question will be the same for all members of the same species, however the requisite depth of the answer will depend on what role in the family human, a persons inborn skills and abilities, would make their, first, best destiny, a discovery to be had in the answer to the second question. I should also probably state that I do not feel that the second question should ever stop being asked, as who "I am" today, is not the same as who I was 10 years ago, and who "I" will be tomorrow is dependant on what my answer is to who I am today. These two questions IMHO form a dynamical system of sorts, in that; they overlap, aspects of the answer to one, will lead to further inquiry in the other. I would assert that the information put forth by Richard Dawkins, in "The Selfish Gene" is necessary and sufficiant answer to the first question for the large majority of people. I did not intend that this post be taken as a public asking of the question by myself, never the less what follows is a summary of the equivalent of a readers digest condensed version, of my answer. You may be reminded to be careful what you ask for by this answer . I, that is I/me/mind, is an epiphenomenal metasystem of the operation of mind/brain, the result of four billion years of natural selection on replicating molecules known today as DNA. Having learned the nature of "I", that the notion of freewill was total myth, but that there are possibilities, and having been made aware of the current state of the species, (well established on extinction row), I am now by self designation Epiphelion (lover of extremes) first knight of the EverQuest, the quest for the breaking of the chains that tie us to the behavioral strategies imposed by survival of the fittest in an environment with limited resoures, and to the experiential fullfillment of the ideal of humanness. Some of the first principles upon which I have built my ethic are; 1) That people suffer is a great wrongness, and that through the application of my first best destiny I am morally bound to relieve that suffering. 2) The only proper response to being an experiencing being is to fully appreciate that being, and be always becoming more capable of experiencing the wonder of it. 3) That I should never by action or inaction impede anothers ability to fully experience the wonderfull-ness of being an experiencing being. Fare thee well good lady, and wheresoever thee may fare, may the faring be wonder full. sine cera
Young lady you will please note my age, and understand that, if possible, I would arrive in a solar powered ATV, for the opportunity of having a captive audience for 18 holes to hopefully impart information to you that would then hopefully be disseminated to a larger group of people who need to know it. I am currently attempting to post, what I see as critical information to individuals as well as the race as a whole. No I am not a megalomaniac, just someone who gives a damn. So in lieu of transporting you and your clubs around a golf course, I'll just have to hope you give the information I present your attention and consideration. sine cera
Hello Vinster, sorry I do have a distinct lack of the ability to be succinct. Basically the essay puts forth the assertion that what is considered to be the "first question of identity" is actually the second question, which cannot logically be answered accuratly in ignorance of the existance of, and answer to the first question of, "What am I?" Further it is my assertion that not having an accurate answer to the first results in wrong answers to the second, and that this is a reason for much of the problems in the world today. Upon finding this site I was initially quite excited by the prospects of having found a group of likeminded discontents, who are of a heart and mind to refute the current establishments nonsensical and destructive ways. Does that make it clear? sine cera
After reading the posting by 'vcr' entitled "Who Am I?", it was clear to me that his question was very well-intended; it is evident that he sees many people in this whole forum that are searching for answers in life - and he probably sees a lot of personal sorrow going on, because I definitely do. He means well, and he means to offer helpful gentle guidance to those who wish to take advantage of his kindness. I say all this first, because for an individual to make mockery of his post when kindness is what he intends is absolutely disgraceful and deplorable - shame on you!! You demonstrate such thoughtlessness and lack of insight that I found it imperative to respond. You could well benefit most from another's suggestions - and instead of taking advantage of the opportunity to grow into a better person, you choose instead to offer insulting, infantile, and hurtful comments - which do nothing good - conversely; you do harm. It really escapes me why one would actually go to the trouble of submitting a post containing content that strives to insult and/or hurt another's feelings. I cannot fathom what is going on inside a person that allows them to do so. Reading this person "Lynsey" 's response actually caused a piece of a puzzle fall into place for me. Her post was a clear indication of an aspect of something that occurs in a society that reveals clearly that the society is in "Decline of Empire". And, that something is the appearance of the decline of regard for others as relating to manners in the culture. Concurrent with that is the tendency towards lesser education. This tendency is blatently revealed by Lynsey's mentioning the "spare TV" they own. Why would one neccessitate a spare television?! It reveals the excessive use of such an appliance as being so second nature that it is casually mentioned. It caused me to wonder, "Do they even read books in that house?" "Do they know how to read?" Lynsey's post contained glaring grammatical and spelling errors, so I think educational sources of entertainment do not exist in their home, or they are not encouraged - another sign of "Decline of Empire." It is not Lynsey's fault - it is simply what she was taught or learned by observation. But, now that she knows that the manner in which she has conducted herself is not appropriate, everything that she does from the moment of reading this onward, is her responsibility. One knows what words hurt and what words do not. VCR speaks about man's inhumanity to man - his tendency towards being not nice to one another. And, he encourages us to not be that way, and he encourages us to realize that we each deserve to enjoy experiencing our lives; and to not do so is a sin. I want to thank you, VCR, for taking the time to encourage us to do right by ourselves - you are most kind. I am sorry that some people lack the capacity to appreciate the thoughts that you extend to us. I shall ponder on who I am. Sincere Regards, Michaela _________________________________________________________ "They will never make a perfect heart until they make one that can't be broken.".......The Wizard, "The Wizard of Oz" _________________________________________________________
Well fitzy, ya know I considered this after I had originally posted a rather strong rebuke myself, so I went back and edited my reply to merely say, I'd advise you rethink this response. Making a joke? At whose expense, I could still write it off as misplaced humor, if it were not for these words, "you are dispensible." There is no way to not take that personally and as high insult, not once between 1968 and 1974 did I ever hear such sarcastic humor directed at any hippie by another hippie. The hip way is gentle, loving, and compassionate, I am sorry if you were offended by Michaelas' response, however she has known me personally for over 10 years, and knows that I will put myself at risk in an effort to spread the word that there is now a solid foundation upon which we could build a better future, unlike any other time in history, we now have at least the first chapters of the "owners manual" for human. I must admit that I tend to be hypersensitive I try as best I can to keep an eye on this, but I refuse to become callous. The reply in question I feel was unfortunate, I would like to see it as no more than that, I have yet to hear from the one person that can make that so. I don't even know if my original response was read by this person, if so I do apologize I was, perhaps to some degree, inappropriately hurt, and my reaction was rather severe. Live, learn, do better in the future, that is all any of us can ask of ourselves, or expect of others. sine cera
It takes some people till they are well in their middle years to figure out who they are and where they fit in the scheme of things.
I dont know who you guys are but im just a random arrangement of atoms and earthly materials that fortunatly has the capability to remember the past and influence the future. That is about the only real difference between me and a goldfish.
No Baby...you are a living , breathing human being who touches and influences people everyday by your words and your actions ..even though you dont realise it...and you have a purpose here...you need only figure out what it is.
