Why am I me?

I posted this as a reply in another forum, but I believe it may have been a little off-topic.

My question goes along these lines. Why am I me? Why am I not someone else? Who decided that I would be me (and I don't mean my parents)? Seriously!!! We all have self-awareness, but to be aware of the self, there must first be self. Where did that come from? The answer that our bodies are a shell, and that our spirits are contained in them would seem to answer that question no? Or perhaps the nature of our being is multi-dimensional, and therefore we can't quite understand it? Doesn't that seem like an obvious question though? What do you all think?

Look at your other posting for a somewhat brief explaination from me based upon what I have learned.

I think that we are just human thats all we are but we have a connection to an erternal energy which some people may call god.

Okay then.....

that kinda threw me for a loop but i see where ur coming from!!

I have always thought that ur family influence u when ur younger by what they do and say...

for example:

my great granpa was always one to be shy but when he wanted to make a point...well by damn he made it and with a few firecrackers in the background for effects...this i have picked up from him and some other weird things from family and friends.

I do believe though that at a certain age u develope into who u want to be and grow into that personality using ur own judgement through life to make ur choices..

this is just me though...who can really say?

Interesting Question.

Freud worked his whole life trying to come to a single theory about why people are individuals, but never did. Although, he did make other significant theories.

Some people say it's because of our development and understand of language. Allowing us to build up complex thoughts.

Have you ever concentrated on a word so hard that it loses all meaning?

I do believe though that at a certain age u develope into who u want to be and grow into that personality using ur own judgement through life to make ur choices..

Freud called this the id, in the first two years of your life you develop the ability of self awareness.

[Edited on 4-10-2003 by MrEisenhower]

The first 5 years outside the womb change the most thoughs are the years that made me who i am today in my opinion.

Had a look at it, thanks THENEO. I believe that we have some kind of Matrix going on, but in a different way I guess. I suppose the Matrix we are defined by has to do with the social framework through which we operate. I believe TV has achieved enormous results in this regard. For example, people who go stark-raving wild during Christmas to find that over-hyped-under-supplied gift for their kid, or whoever. We are doing exactly what someone wants us to do.

Why do you believe that we choose at some point who we are going to be? Why would someone choose, for instance to be Hitler?

-P

Originally posted by THENEO
Look at your other posting for a somewhat brief explaination from me based upon what I have learned.

Just remember that only u can change who you are...no else can...they may give u ideas and suggestions but only u can decide....

As simply as I can describe it, you are you because of the time you were born & the experiences that you've had since the day of your birth. If you'd been born even so little as 1 day earlier or later, you're experiences would be somewhat different (not by much, with only 1 day difference) than what your memories tell you now.

You are you & I am me, the differences being that you can only perceive the universe as you have & I can only perceive the universe as I have. Therefore I can never fully understand you & you can never fully understand me *because* of this difference in life-experience.

Everybody's universe is different from everybody else's universe because everybody perceives & experiences it differently (even if only slightly). When we meet with one another, our own universes intersect & mingle for a time, but once we part, we're back in our own universes again.

postings,

good questions.

the best response that I can give you is freewill.

a rule of the universe.

we are free to be selfish or giving.

being Hitler was good and bad, such is life.

I guess overall life was good for him if power was what turned him on, and assuming that was the case.

my interpretation and my interpretation only...

you infinite soul in all of its wisdon decided that it wanted to, with the help of the great father, experience certain things it was lacking in experience in...

then poof, you are in existence by the miracle of life...

your soul in tact and the experiences preordained to live through...

yet your soul is becoming more and more aware, kinda like the matrix movie where more peoples were becoming unplugged...

because the fabric of civilization is not adequate to contain your infinite soul..

now the joyus occasion...

you may be living in a time where you may have the opportunity to be reunited with other souls who are aware of their ex is tence...

i pray all is well in the world...

1 love and peace...

Just talk to a woman that has had 2 or more children and you'll realize that you are not just your accumulated experiences from this life. A mother knows each child comes out with a different personality and different gifts that are not part of the family heritage nor were taught.

That being said, the answer to "why am I me" is inside you. But one cannot be filled with answers until one is empty from the answers given by others. Most people are their accumulated thoughts, beliefs and prejudices but that is only a choice. A choice of forgetting who they really are. It's not a bad choice since it assists greatly in learning. But when someone has reached a point they get a slight tinge of something more. For those, that tinge is usually enough to start them searching.

"Those who seek should not stop seeking until they find. When they find, they will be disturbed. When they are disturbed, they will marvel, and will reign over all. And after they have reigned they will rest."

Like in the lines of thought from Gryffen, it is my sincere and honest opinion that EVERYBODY, choose themselves who they are!
But of course then theres the law of Karma which forces you to interact in a harmonious way with your surroundings...

but that body chooses before birth...

This is an extremely deep question for one to think about. Although I also want to make clear the understanding of how I view the question being asked. "Why am I me" and "Who am I" can be taken differently. "Why" anybody is who they are I scale more on the Biological/Sociological make-up of the person. Such things as "Why" you have Blue eyes, or Brown hair, Black Skin, Big Nose, Long legs, etc.

The more important aspect of this, and also what I assume you meant by the question is the personal unique side to you. That side, "Who" you are is solely for you to decide. Keep in mind though that searching for the answer to such a question is NOT acceptable within most of the world today. In todays world YOU are already Defined by Age, Race, Bloodline, Soc. Sec. Number, Global Position, Status, Education, Shoe Size, Name, and so on. While these things may pertain to you, all of them will fall short, even when combined, to "Who" you really are by YOUR standards. That is of course unless YOU decide to accept and agree upon them as the all encompassing limits to your existence. You are not your Chosen Profession or Your Lifestyle or Your Car, but you can think of yourself that way if you choose to.

"Know Thyself" and once you know that you will also know Your Limits or Lack thereof.

to further expound on the previous post...

the choice consist of two options...

1. the father and all of his infinte love and beauty...
2.the material plane in which we have created for false vain happiness...

the path of both are very hazardous...

"choices dictate mens destiny; i pray the destination be a peacefull one" me...

Perhaps another question will shed some light on this. If I am me, I know my beingness, my thoughts, my feelings, do other people feel this in their own individuality as well? As if to say, if I could experience being someone else, would I know their point of veiw on self-being? How much would it seem like I was different, or similar to my original self?

-Mike

I've been thinking about this question for a while. And the answer i come up with is personality and beliefs.

But seeming as you're a person you then also must have your own individual personality completely unique.

Beliefs....you choose your own beliefs. What you believe in is entirely up to you, and how you choose those beliefs and what you believe in, is also a part of your personality.

So what makes you you and what makes you the way you are is your personality.

Physically we are all humans.

Our personaily is shown by the way we act/talk/move/think/believe/do things, etc.

But what makes you have your personality. Are you born with it? Or do you get it through lifes experiences?

What i believe is this.

If a child was born into a world of nothing. It had no interaction with anything/anyone, there was just completely nothing around it. Now just say it was surrounded by nothing and had no interaction/no brain thoughts for 21 years. Then suddenly someone appears and says something to it such as "G'day mate, How ya going?" and it somehow understood what he was saying. That child of 21 years.............would react to that person in one way or another, deciding wat to say back, how to say it, to walk around while saying it, look interested, or bored, etc. That child was born with a personality.

People are born with a personality.

But i believe that the things we do in life/experience in life also alter us, change our thought patterns, develop new ways of thinking, reacting, etc, thus changing our personality.

Can be very limiting.....

Originally posted by TCMike
Perhaps another question will shed some light on this. If I am me, I know my beingness, my thoughts, my feelings, do other people feel this in their own individuality as well? As if to say, if I could experience being someone else, would I know their point of veiw on self-being? How much would it seem like I was different, or similar to my original self?

-Mike

This is a fun perspective viewpoint idea to play with. The way I understand this is let's say for example: You are you just like normal. Who you've been and are and might become along with memories and everything is all available and undertood like usual. Then let's say you and I decide to swich our self awarness including memories consciousness and everything else. At that point since all memory and self awarness of You is now Me and Mine Yours, would we even be aware that a switch was in fact made?

What about if you exchanged everything excluding your memories? Then surely an exchange would know be evident since a New Present state of Self Awarness would result in a mismatch. Does this mean that we are defined by our Past Interactions within Reality? What we remember that is anyway? It would seem to alter any future ideas of my(new)self as well as my Present Self.

Just a thought anyway.....