Who am I?
Isn't this a very simple question? Who am I? As in... My name, job, place, etc.? But is it who I actually am? What defines us? Only our name or job or where we live? Well.. Maybe!
So, does it mean that if a person knows my profile, he knows me? No! This can never mean he knows me. In fact, who is it? Who knows who I am?
Actually, there's no one who knows me, not even me! I'm always in doubt as to what I like or what I don't. Who I am is largely influenced by the people around me, the world. Although, who I actually am is still hidden deep inside somewhere in a dormant situation. The world of today has become one of the 'peeping' types, the people are more concerned about what the others are doing and are not taking into account what they are doing to themselves. And the best part is, we love it!
We are loving the world that it has become today. We love posting pictures of smiling faces while deep down, we know what we are going through. But why?
Why are we more concerned about what others think about us? Why don't we just order something and eat, instead of first clicking pictures and uploading them?
Doubt!
The reason is that we're always in doubt. We love being in doubt. We love being in illusion. The mere thought that others think I'm happy, gives us relief (Momentarily, but yes, we do feel relieved).
Yes, that's the reason. We live in a world of illusion, doubt and dilemma.
But what is it that has to be done to come out of that confusion, that dilemma?
Yes, you'll get the answer to it. But wait... Read this first.
"Have you ever wondered what we doubt? Have you ever had a doubt on what you doubt? Have you ever realised that doubt is always uncertain- it's neither black nor white. Yes, and that we doubt only the positive things in life? What? What did I just read?
Oh, it's true. We always doubt the positive aspects because negative aspects are already in the no-doubt region.
Let me explain this to you with the help of an example; He is a liar- There is no doubt in it. He is a liar, he is bad. But, what we actually doubt is 'someone's honesty'. Is he actually honest? This is DOUBT. Similarly, a person shouting angrily is angry, there is no doubt. But if the same person says that he loves you, there is a sudden entry of doubt- Is he serious? Does he love me? "
So, the basic of life is that it's always a doubt who you really are. A doctor or a businessman? Free yourself from this doubt and discover yourself. Discover who you really are and what you want to do for yourself. Only then you can be happy and only then can you be free!
So, more than being rich or successful, try to become a happy person.
Image Courtesy: http://www.lovethispic.com/image/97480/free-yourself
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It sure is very helpful. Thank you. :)
Welcome to Steemit Nikita!
Thank you @firepower. Followed you. :)
Welcome to Steemit. I am following your blog.
Thank you so much. I'll be highly obliged. :)
I suppose one question is why suppose that there is an "I" there to know. Lots of philosophers have rejected this very Cartesian assumption. Hume, Sarte, Dennet all rejected the idea. Not a criticism; just a question. Here is suggestion. Start with simpler problems first. You want to know what it is to know yourself, but what is it to know anything at all? What is it to know your dog? Your house? I guess my point is that sometimes we ask "what is it to know myself" and we don't even know what we mean by "know".
@urizenus, I understand that there are a lot of things to be known and that what we actually mean by "known" is also unknown. For example, knowing something means to get till the roots and once we get to that point, there has to be the end of science and then that's where philosophy comes into the picture. For example, knowing about dogs doesn't actually mean to 'know' the breed or name of that dog but to understand the importance of their existence or the origin of their existence.
Definitely, knowing things should start from simpler things. And to know what it means to know anything at all. :)
Your post is pretty deep and valid (as a first post, whoa!) and yes, we are so accustomed to what others think of us we forgot to listen to what is truly inside of us. I too used to live in doubt all the time but I am in progress of freeing this poisonous anxiety that does nothing but harm.
I'm so happy someone really came to know what I actually wanted to express. It means a lot to me. :)
Yes, doubt gives you nothing except tensions and makes your mind unstable. Hope you get rid of this poison soon. And don't forget to introspect. :)
While the question you pose is indeed interesting (who am I?), you do not provide any concrete direction for answering the question besides telling people to stop doubting (which is vague and pointless) and you mix in some very questionable and only tangentially related statements (like the one where you say we only doubt negative things). I don't mean to be rude, but this post is the definition of meaninglessness disguised as profound insight.
I don't think Nikita's question is "meaningless"; we've all been there, even if only in the grip of freshman year existential trauma. The question needs to be sharpened up a bit, but there is nothing wrong with doubt. Just because the question is vague it doesn't mean it is "pointless". No?
@urizenus, the question here may leave many people thinking of it to be meaningless or pointless. But from the philosophical point of view, he who knows 'who he really is' is the master.
I really do understand that the question and the write-up have to be sharpened a bit. And I really thank you for it.
PS: This is my first article and I have to learn a lot of things from all of you. :)
I'm sorry if you misunderstood me. It is not the question that is meaningless; rather, it is the provided hints at an answer to the question that I find fundamentally meaningless. I even started my comment by remarking how I find the question to be very interesting. After all, it is one the quintessential and timeless philosophical questions of humanity.
I really appreciate your interest. I would like to highlight some points here. Providing concrete direction is not the motto here, what I try to explain is that we don't really know who we really are until and unless we introspect. Introspect is the hidden word here, which I expected the readers to THINK. Everybody is in a doubt these days and this doubt is a grey area which is neither black nor white. So, how to solve a doubt?
For this, we have to accept a doubt as either black or white. Think of a person as either honest or dishonest and stick to it. Then your mind is free. Doubting is always in an unstable state which gives rise to tension. If you accept a person as dishonest; That's it. He is dishonest. Finished. Your mind will be quite.
Free yourself is not written just according to its literal sense. It does not mean that I'm asking the reader to just stop doubting ( as you mentioned here as vague and pointless). What I try to say in between the lines is that one has to free them from the dilemmas of this world. Free yourself from the confusion to bring peace to yourself. Then only your mind will be quite. And of course, Introspect. Because nobody actually knows the answer to the question-"Who am I?"
There, now you have been a little bit clearer on your proposed method of dealing with doubt (which does not necessarily lead to any answer to the original question of one's identity). And I couldn't disagree more with your perspective. For me, doubting is an essential part of what I am and how I build my worldview. It's not that I do not settle some doubts over time, but I don't want to have an artificial and deluded certainty about things which are usually more complex than simple binary options as you have used in your example. Doubting may be healthy in the sense that leads us to reevaluate our mindsets and attitudes towards life and existence in general, opening up great opportunities for self-improvement and personal development. Doubting is at the core of both the scientific method and the Cartesian philosophical approach to epistemology. Doubting invites us to constantly reassess what we believe in and why. Without doubt, we would be collectively stuck in a conformed status quo, an illusion of enlightenment. I urge everyone not to stop doubting, but to embrace it as an attitude of openness towards growth and better understanding.
Gud🤘
Thankyou so much @kartik62. :)
Well written post, I would suggest adding a few more photos that you take yourself. They can be photos from your camera phone, its just nice to have them to break things up