Who am I?

If you ever approach someone and ask them “Who are you?”, you’ll probably just get a name. If you then say “That’s nice… but who are you?”, you’ll either be asked to either clarify your question, or be told something relative to the context of your meeting (“I’m the representative from ……….”). If you persist with the same question, and after a number of clarifying statements, you may get to hear the usual “I’m a mother, daughter, sister, friend etc. etc), which are all little pieces  of the answer, but really say very little of consequence about the person.

It would seem to me to be a bit like knowing the names of all the parts that comprise your car’s engine, but having no knowledge of what they actually do or how one part interacts with another part!

Of course, one’s answer to being asked “Who are you?” will vary depending on your relationship with the questioner but, assuming that it was someone you trust…. how would you answer “Who are you?”

So……………. “Who am I?”

I am an official “senior citizen” who has no regrets when looking back! That does not mean that I have lead a perfect life, but it does mean that I see every imperfection as a stepping stone to where I am today…. and I am very happy with where I am today!

I am a Christian, but very rarely go to church. In fact, there are a number of self professed Christians who refute my position with Christianity. I just treat them with the understanding and compassion which Christianity teaches, and which so many of them clearly need to learn.

I am a father of two children and, in my opinion, a pretty good one. Thinking back to the times when my children were at their most receptive to parental influences, then my fatherly impact on them would have been very questionable. However, mistakes back then simply provided opportunities to change things for the future.

I am a realist. My reality dictated that my career choice would not be supported for social stigma reasons. My reality dictated that my second career choice would not happen due to medical reasons.  My reality dictated that, in the absence of a 3rd career choice, I had better get a job!

I am a singer/songwriter/ musician and can do none of those things very well, but the personal satisfaction of writing lyrics and mixing sounds to create what was in my imagination is priceless.

I am a writer, and now have a book on the market. I don’t expect it to ever become a best seller, but I already have my reward from simply seeing that project through to completion and knowing that quite a few people have enjoyed reading it.

I am a friend to a number of people, and a dog. My concept of friendship is the stereotypical old-fashioned idea, where convenience is never a factor and if assistance is required, then I will do whatever I can.  My role as a friend has been one of my most stable roles, in that I have always been prepared to help where I can. This was a learned trait from my family, and from early life experiences.

I have been a “temporary father” to a number of people who were offered refuge in our home. Mostly it was appreciated, and the isolated time when it was abused, the situation was addressed and we all moved on with our lives having had another learning opportunity.

I am now well over 500 words which means that I will finish here, but your mind has no word limits so “Who are you?” and, if that seems an easy question to answer then how about “Why are you who you are?”

Food for thought!

16 thoughts on “Who am I?”

  1. This is one of those seemingly simple questions that are really hard to answer. Loved the way you answered it. Strangely, it made me happy yet uncomfortable…maybe because it is really hard for me to pin down who I am.

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    • Hahevash – I am glad that you find it hard to pin down who you are! If it was easy, I would suggest that you were not thinking about it seriously enough. The main reason that it is hard for you is probably your age. I am pretty certain that I can account for 90% of my personality, but it has taken me over 60 years to get to that point! There is a saying “You cannot solve a problem that you do not admit to having.” In the context of who you are, your good news is that you are aware that your past is impacting your present and, consciously or otherwise, you will periodically dwell on that fact. The bad news is that the aging process will help you find some answers so be patient. Of course you must also consider that something may happen to you tomorrow which could also impact your future personality! I am quite different now, with my perspectives on the world, than I was when in my 20’s! Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

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  2. Interesting post, you always make me think! Although I am quite young it’s pretty interesting to think back on what my answers to that question would’ve been in past years as my interests, motivations and priorities have shifted quite a lot. I always wonder what my child and teenage self would think of my life now!

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    • When my “Just Thinking” category posts make people think, I am happy! As for your younger self’s views on your current self? She would probably be baffled and be asking herself “How on earth did I get from here… to there?” 🙂

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  4. Interesting. Who I was thirty years ago is nothing like the person I am now. Life’s learning curve can be painful and emotionally vicious, so. I’m glad I was able to rise above it all. The onion layer thing still rings true though, but at least I know who I am now, and no longer have to try to be what someone else expects.

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    • Absolutely! It is such a simple question with some very complex answers however, I do think that pondering said question will result in some interesting answers which can, in turn, give each of us a greater understanding of who we are.. and why we are!” 🙂

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  6. People are so multi-faceted that it’s interesting to see how they define themselves. It’s interesting that you are musical because you never post about that. I have to think about how to define myself because some days I feel like “cat wait stall while others I am the Jeopardy queen. I no longer define myself by my former work (finally). The great thing about aging is the different perspective it brings.

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