“What is your name?”
Perhaps this question was the first question you encountered a lot of times when you were a toddler. May be people around you did not really care what your name is, as they could ask this first to your parents, but they were interested to know if you, at your age at that time, could say your own name.
But as you grow up and, of course, mature, answering the “what is your name?” question would be a whole lot much easier than answering “Who are you?”
And for this matter, “Who am I?”
Answering this question would need more than knowing my status or my own achievements. For example, if I answer this question with “I am a student nurse of UST” it does not answer the “who am I?” but rather the “what am I?”
Oftentimes, one may perceive the “who am I?” question easy to answer. Think again. This question is not answerable by any questions in the bio data, or in autograph books I used to have when I was in grade school. Answering this question will need a concrete knowledge one self.
If I am to answer this question ten years ago, my answer would be much different from the answer I will have ten years from now. Inconsistent, isn’t? Would you really know who I am if there are inconsistencies? Maybe yes but not really, as change is the only permanent thing in this world.
When Jesus asked his disciples “who do you think I am?” only Peter gave the right answer. Unlike other disciples whose answers were based on rumors, Peter based his answer on the truth itself. Peter was sure of himself, of his answer, and of Jesus.
What did Peter answer? “You are the Messiah, Son of the Living God.” Notice how Peter knew Jesus, not by his name as it is, neither where Jesus came from nor what does Jesus do. Peter knew Jesus by his purpose and from whom he came from. This answer was given by Jesus two millenniums ago, and it will be the same truth two millenniums from now.
Every time I hang out in a bookstore, I never fail to notice countless books that would say how to truly know your self, how to be what you want to be, how to make the most out of life or even how to make yourself famous. With their catchy titles and some readers’ critics, sometimes I want to buy some of these books, as though they really can help me know myself, thus helping me to know who really I am. To top all of these books, one author say otherwise.
Rick Warren, author of the phenomenal book The Purpose Driven Life, said that the key in knowing thy self is not to focus on own self but to focus on the One who created the self. Through this way one can truly know self as one will know his/her purpose and that purpose will define who that self is.
So, who am I?
For me, no one could answer that but me. No books could answer that for me. I believe the one who can really answer that question is my Creator. Until I see my Creator face to face, that’s the only time I could say who I am.
As of now, I really do not have a concrete answer for that question. Goals and wishes do not count as answers, isn’t? Though right now, I can say I am a human striving, seeking, and a becoming.
That is who I am.
I am who I am.
*Philosophy 5 (Christian Ethics) paper, submitted to Prof. Aboy.