|
||||
|
||||
Who
am I?
|
||||
*
Note
|
||||
Goethe once said that all of us seek answers to three big questions in life: What is the story of all mankind? What is the story of my time? And what story is mine alone? This statement of Goethe tells us that, at least, a part of who we are depends on the story in which we are participating. We each have our own personal story; it would guide the narration in an autobiography. However, Goethe is saying that our personal story also depends on our place in world history and on the important events of our time. World history has a story. So do our nation, our community, our family, our circle of friends. We are what has happened in these stories. Our identities are shaped by life experiences. It would help to improve our sense of personal identity to know more about world history and to know where, in the broad sweep of events, we currently find ourselves. Then we could act in accordance with the currents of history instead of swimming against the tide. But if someone must swim against the tide, so be it. That may be his personal story. It would help him to know, at least, what he is doing. |
||||
With respect to world history, here is a link to a related web site: http:www.worldhistorysite.com. This web site presents a particular theory of world history, saying its story is organized in five epochs, or chapters, each associated with a civilizations. The civilizations are states of society and culture, building cumulatively upon what has come before. They follow one another in successive epochs of history. In each epoch, some parts of society are in a creative phase while other parts are experiencing decadence and decay (but not final extinction). According to this theory, we as a people are currently in the fourth civilization whose culture is focused on entertainment. But the fifth, computer civilization is on the horizon. Creative possibilities lie in this sector. |
||||
One should not say dogmatically that stories alone give us a sense of personal identity. There are many other elements. For instance:
|
||||
Thats enough. There may also be many other ways to put people into categories expressing their identity. Our purpose here is not to find useful ways of fitting peoples unique personalities into groups but to ask: What identity do you wish to have? What is important to you? An advantage of knowing our own personal identity is that we can then perhaps find other people of a similar nature and tendency. That knowledge would enable us to form meaningful groups. To be with others like ourselves allows us to bounce ideas off each other and acquire new insights about ourselves and about the possibilities in life. We would have a richer knowledge and experience than if we had to do everything by ourselves or understand everything by ourselves. Also, individuals assembled in groups can act in a coordinated way. They can be politically more effective. Sharing tasks, they can work together to accomplish more things. They can have a greater collective presence in the world. To gain a more accurate sense of our own personal identity is also inherently beneficial. Socrates stressed the importance of self-knowledge. For him, this was the highest good. It allows people to focus their lives correctly. It allows people to avoid being exploited by others because of identity weakness. It allows them to identify their highest values and purposes, doing what will bring true fulfillment. |
||||
* Note:
The woman in front (second from right) is Teresa Strand. This 46-year-old
woman learned that her colon cancer had spread to her brain and liver
and she had only a short time to live. Surrounded by her cousins, she
was photographed at a "living wake" held in her honor at the
Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Burnsville, Minnesota.
|
||||
|
||||
|