|
Today's
quotation:
An accurate definition of the self is impossible.
You are
more than you realize, more than you can define. And
the
more time you spend trying to nail down the definition,
the less time you spend living right now. . . Your past is
not your identity. . . You, living now, is your identity.
George
Lawrence-Ell
|
|
Today's
Meditation:
It's
kind of funny how much time we spend trying to figure
ourselves out. Perhaps it's a result of existential
angst-- maybe we feel that if we can define ourselves, our
mortality will be explained to us and we'll have answers
to important questions before we actually die. But
many of the greatest thinkers of the world have realized
that we go about creating who we are each day of our
lives, through our thoughts, actions, and deeds. We
don't need to stop and take a snapshot of exactly who we
are, for such a snapshot will be incomplete and
unfulfilling.
We
have to choose where we spend our energy, and it doesn't
make a whole lot of sense to spend it trying to come up
with something that necessarily will be inaccurate.
My identity is not something that can be written down or
captured, and it's much more fun for me to be living my
life fully and getting the most out of life instead of
sitting in some "library" somewhere trying to
figure out who I am.
I
can see important images of who I am-- reflections, if your
will-- in the things I do, the people I like and dislike,
the things I own, the actions I take, the things I
say. And that should be enough. These things
won't provide me with a complete definition of my
identity, but they most certainly can help me to see
important parts of myself. I don't need to waste
time and energy on a futile task, especially when I
consider that six months from now, any definition I come
up with now will be irrelevant and out of date.
|
