WHO ARE WE / WHO AM I?
Science believes that possibly as far back as 1,500,000 years ago, early humans (Homo Erectus)
developed the ability to control fire. It is not hard to conceive that shortly thereafter, humans sat
around fires in the evenings, looked up at the stars and asked each other, what is this all about,
why are we here and to a lesser extent, who are we.
As humans. we always seem to want to know the answers to the larger questions first but to
answer them, we usually need to take a step back and explore and answer the more basic
questions. In this case, we have to determine who we are or more specifically, who am I,
before we can tackle why we are here and what it is all about.
Seems simple enough doesn't it? Who am I ---- well, I am and I am and I am --- or am I?
I Am My Profession
As Americans, we are obsessed with our professions. One of the first things we ask each other
when we first meet is "what do you do?" And we respond we are a carpenter, a doctor, a teacher,
a social worker, a lawyer a waitress or whatever. But is that WHO we are? The answer is NO.
Our profession is not who we are, it is what what we do. When we were in school, we were a student.
When we get out of school, we were no longer technically a student. If we are a nurse and retire, are
we still a nurse, no, we are retired and doing something else.
This also extends to our thinking we are a mother, father, son, daughter, etc. If we have one child and
the child dies, are we still a mother or father? No, we no longer have children so we are no longer a parent.
Anything we think we are that changes is not who we are because we are still here and we are no longer
that which changed.
I Am My Body / Mind
Now we are getting somewhere, I am my body. I have to be my body, it goes everywhere I go and my mind
is always thinking and with me. But lets go beneath the surface, if we are our body, what part of our body are we?
We are not our arms or our legs or our fingers or our toes. Why? Because a lot of people are missing
appendages and we are still here. If we are still here and they are not, they are not who we are. The same goes for
our kidneys, appendix, lungs, liver and even our heart. People have them taken out all the time and often even replaced
with artificial organs and they are still here. So, none of our appendages or organs are who we are.
In reality, our body loses a few million molecules every second (and
also takes on/rebuilds a few million molecules every second). As a
matter of fact, our body of today has virtually none of the same
molecules in it as our body of 7 years ago. We have completely recycled
every molecule in our body, we are in a completely different body, and
yet we are still here. So, we are not our body.
Come on now -- at least we are our minds.
NEXT »
