Friday, December 19, 2008

Who are you? What do you want?

Pretty normal questions even if they sound a bit rude. A wrong answer to the first one can get you killed in some places like the Middle East or the Balkans, and the second one is the most important question in the world. What you want and actually knowing what you really want shapes what you are and gives meaning to your life. The truth is that most probably you'll get what you really want dreams tend to come true (sometimes nightmares come true too).
I think, what you really are, is shaped by how you see yourself, where you want to be and how others see you. The real you at any moment is somewhere in between those three points. Of course you can always imagine other views like where others want you to be and how you are influence by the other's view of you. And again you have to figure out who you are in general terms. I believe in John Lennon’s credo from Imagine.(there is no country and no religion too) but many people seem to cling to some kind of belonging which they find comforting. I have my own loyalties to family and friends, and am proud of my cultural heritage, but can't imagine using that against any other human being except in clear cut defense situation.
Belonging to a religious, political, professional or sports community how diverse we are not how different we are. It's OK to be proud but stupid to be arrogant. I actually think that you can only be really proud if you are not arrogant. Only when you acknowledge the qualities of other you can shine in your own way too. Anything else would have been a race without opponents. Not much honor in winning one of those.
What do you really want? Fame? Power? Money? ... Love? Our deepest desires are what we really are. Divine sparks of inspiration shaping our calling that we must follow to feel at peace with the universe and to succeed and any wavering from which is frustrating and makes us miserable.
I guess what you want makes who you are. And it's up to me to decide who I am. If what I really want is challenging and inspiring, and deep desires usually are, we need the help and cooperation of other people all with their dreams, desires. world views and identities. If we are true to your inner self and your innermost desires it's more likely to be able to impress friends, neighbors and colleagues to help us follow our dream while perhaps helping them follow theirs because dreams always come true if we build foundations under our castles in the air.

3 comments:

  1. nice piece you got here..

    before I move on, I would like to greet you Happy Holidays and a blessed new year...

    Your content maybe short but it has a lot of depth in it.

    I do agree that one can be proud of their heritage without being to arrogant about it. Yet there are times that when some one is trying to be humble, their minds become to clouded to reveal what they really wanted to show.

    For others, people cling to the identity that people think of them as security blanket (this is how I understand it). Maybe it is their assurance that they belong or is it insecurity?

    these are some of my opinions though...

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  2. Identity as a security blanket good thought. I guess it's OK as long as it doesn't harm anyone, but still it is an illusion. We are all different and that diversity makes the world alive.

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  3. Great thought...It reminded me of a book written by an Asian saint, Swami Vivekananda. If we mange to find answers of the above questions, then we can really find God..

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