Do We Ever Truly Know "Who" We Are?

Identity is a funny thing.

We think we likely know ourselves, and who we are... but do we really? And how deep does that understanding actually go?

Of course we know who we are, in the superficial sort of sense. Name, rank and serial number, and all that good stuff.

We know our names, our nationalities, our ages, our professions, even some of our preferences.

But — for most of us — that is like describing the 10% of an iceberg that reveals itself above water. Which leaves 90% submerged; unaccounted for.

And for many people, that's actually "good enough." They care neither to know nor to be known beyond that top layer. In most cases, it's where the entire world seems to operate. But it's not OK for everyone... so we go on these quests to know ourselves.

It's a road I have walked for most of my adult life... always questing.

People occasionally ask me "why I bother" with all this self-study. I don't have an entirely good accurate answer, as of yet. Is it just a self-indulgence? I don't think so!

Perhaps the closest I can get to that is to say that I am looking for some sort of key that might help me feel more capable of making choices that lead to my being happy — or even content — during a greater proportion of my life.

It's not a question of thinking that I deserve that, it's merely a question of wanting that. Perhaps because the absence of it always made me feel empty; restless.

Perhaps what makes the path trickier is the recognition of not being happy with the "typecast" answers and trappings of life society claims "should" make us feel happy and content. I never found all that much solace in them... they seemed so heavily oriented mostly towards making profits, rather than finding peace in life.

And it has nothing to do with feeling like it's "not enough," it comes from the feeling of being wrong.

When I was quite a wee lad, I was often described as a "dreamer." And I was often told to get my head out of the clouds and focus more on what is actually here. And I have, indeed, done so... never treated this whole process as some kind of free license to just flake out on everyone!

So why should we even care? Why do I care?

Perhaps the essence of truly understanding who you are is that unless you know who you are, it's all but impossible to know what you truly want. If you don't know who you are at your root and soul level, the needs and desires you keep filling merely serve the outer façade you've been trained to share with the world.

The question from the title of this post still stands unanswered. Do we ever truly know who we are? Is it possible to peel away enough layers of "identity" to get at the real self? The true being-ness?

What will we even find there?

In most cases, we end up with things like love and compassion and kindness and joy and peace and a number of others. They are not things, they are states of being.

Sometimes the journey includes unexpected highlights in the form of fellow seekers who suddenly get it... and they see us, and we see them.

And then you know that the journey wasn't a waste of time!

Thanks for reading, and have a great remainder of your week!

How about you? Do you know who you REALLY are? Do you know what you REALLY want, in your life... below the surface? Is the question even important to you? Leave a comment if you feel so inclined — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!

(All text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is ORIGINAL CONTENT, created expressly for this platform — Not posted elsewhere!)

Created at 2024.03.06 23:58 PST
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