I read this quote and fell in love with it instantly, how often have we tried to know who we really are and how many of us have asked this question; Who am I ?
I know the standard reply would me Mr./Miss/Ms. Xyz , S/D/W/o . So and So. Agreed and I am not denying it, but when it comes to knowing yourself the reply would be a fact which is 100% true and 100% useless.
But if you were to ask me, I would say that is the self for others , it’s a reference point for others to call you to identify your place in the society and merely that. Lot of wise people have said, before you endeavour to understand others its imperative that you understand yourself. More often than not, we are perplexed with whats happening around us rather than whats happening within us. And the answer also lies within us.
Rainer Maria in the “Letters to a young poet” has mentioned this beautifully.
Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves like locked rooms and like books that are written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given to you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will find them gradually, without noticing it, and live along some distant day into the answer.
So on searching a bit, I came across a set of simple questions which you ask yourself and which tries to answer the mother of all questions. Who am I ??
Without much ado, I shall let you take the questionnaire, but this set comes with rules of its own.
1. Since these are questions which is about you, you don’t have to and ideally you should not share it with others. These questions are by you, to you & for you .... :). I am not saying this to be secretive or anything, the bottomline is “No one will understand it”. What you are going through and how you feel, no one is capable of understanding it other than yourself. So no point in sharing it with others .
2. Take it when you are in a mood for introspection and ideally alone, if you wish you can write down the answers. Sometimes it you might have a conflict, write down both the conflicting opinions.
3. When I was going through the questions the first time, I noticed a sort of defiance from my ego, which refused to accept the obvious answer. It was a knee jerk reaction by the mind. But since it was me and only me I tried to soothe the ego and then the mind started seeing things differently. So you see the more honest you are with answering these questions the better results you would see. RESULTS ?? When did I talk about results ? well the result is a better you.
4. Don’t cheat…be honest, since no one is going to judge you or taunt you or appreciate you answer these questions honestly, without 'prejudice to yourself 'and hopefully you will realize your true self and answer some of the questions which you knew were bothering you but you never came to terms with it.
5. These questions can be answered in the “Yes” and “No” . But I would recommend you answering with as many examples or instances which you think applies to it. That way you can prove it was just not your ego answering it.
6. Some question might not make sense when you read it once, read it again. Keep it pending, read the other questions and come back to the pending ones later.
7. Take your time to answer, don’t expect to unravel yourself at the end of the questionnaire …its just the beginning.
All the best, I hope you find atleast some answers to the question-“Who am I ?” To the question of your life you are the answer, and to the problems of your life you are the solution. ~Joe Cordare
Questions to ask yourself..!
1. Why not me?
2. Am I nice?
3. Am I doing what I really want to do?
4. What am I grateful for?
5. What’s missing in my life?
6. Am I honest?
7. Do I listen to others?
8. Do I work hard?
9. Do I help others?
10. What do I need to change about myself?
11. Have I hurt others?
12. Do I complain?
13. What’s next for me?
14. Do I have fun?
15. Have I seized opportunities?
16. Do I care about others?
17. Do I spend enough time with my family?
18. Am I open-minded?
19. Have I seen enough of the world?
20. Do I judge others?
21. Do I take risks?
22. What is my purpose?
23. What is my biggest fear?
24. How can I conquer that fear?
25. Do I thank people enough?
26. Am I successful?
27. What am I ashamed of?
28. Do I annoy others?
29. What are my dreams?
30. Am I positive?
31. Am I negative?
32. Is there an afterlife?
33. Does everything happen for a reason?
34. What can I do to change the world?
35. What is the most foolish thing I’ve ever done?
36. Am I cheap?
37. Am I greedy?
38. Who do I love, self or others?
39. Who do I want to meet?
40. Where do I want to go?
41. What am I most proud of?
42. Do I care what others think about me?
43. What are my talents?
44. Do I utilize those talents?
45. What makes me happy?
46. What makes me sad?
47. What makes me angry?
48. Am I satisfied with my appearance?
49. Am I healthy?
50. What was the toughest time in my life?
51. What was the easiest time in my life?
52. Am I selfish?
53. What was the craziest thing I did?
54. What is the craziest thing I want to do?
55. Do I procrastinate?
56. What is my greatest regret?
57. What has had the greatest impact on my life?
58. Who has had the greatest impact on my life?
59. Do I stand up for myself?
60. Have I settled for mediocrity?
61. Do I hold grudges?
62. Do I read enough?
63. Do I listen to my heart?
64. Do I donate enough to the less fortunate?
65. Do I pray only when I want something?
66. Do I constantly dwell on the past?
67. Do I let other people’s negativity affect me?
68. Do I forgive myself?
69. When I help someone do I think “What’s in it for me”?
70. Am I aware that someone always has it worse than me?
71. Do I smile more than I frown?
72. Do I surround myself with good people?
73. Do I take time out for myself?
74. Do I ask enough questions?
75. What other questions do I have?
Do BSP you will know who you are.:))
ReplyDeleteYea .. right .. i should have expected this from you ... :P
ReplyDeleteArticle in Times of India, March 22nd 2010 ; 2 days after I wrote the above blog - Similarity, coincidence ??
ReplyDeleteIdentities: A Fine Balance
Debabrata Tripathy
We sometimes ask ourselves questions for which there could be not one but several answers: Who am i, what is my duty, what is my main objective and is it right for me to work towards fulfilling that objective? What is the purpose of my life? These questions come to our mind perhaps as random thoughts, and then they go away.
In the normal flow of things, we don't tend to analyse or concentrate on these questions too seriously because we have to deal first with thoughts on what we consider to be our priorities.
Let's take the most commonly expressed doubt: Who am i, really? The immediate answer that comes to mind would be the name you have been given – “I am Debabrata, Ram, Rahim or whatever else i am known as…” This is because we have learnt this the moment we started recognising and speaking, in our growing years. When someone calls out your name, you respond. And that, over time, becomes your identity. There's nothing wrong in it. But on probing further, we would discover that the identity we think we have is only part of the story.
Let's say i am introducing myself in this way over the telephone or e-mail – the other party would recognise me as someone with a particular name. Once we get to meet, we would probably not recognise the other. On the other hand if we'd exchanged photographs that indicate what we look like, it helps in identification. So we use photographs, fingerprints, date of birth details and the name for correct identification. In another context, we introduce ourselves in relationship to another as parent, sibling, spouse, friend or teacher, for instance. All this might suffice in the external world.
How does identification work in the inner world? Our external ID is determined by phenomenological factors and relationships and is therefore of a temporary nature; there is a beginning and an end, with birth and death. Then the question arises, am i a temporary being? What then of my identity?
At Kurukshetra, on the battlefield, Arjuna forgot the eternal nature of the Self and focused only on the (temporary) relationship with Bhishma and Drona. Arjuna seems to have gotten carried away by his identity in the physical world. Krishna says in the Gita that you continue to exist even after the death of the physical body. There is no such thing as death; the Self passes unchanged from one body to another. There is life beyond death. The Self is immortal and is unborn. The Self is our real identity. Our true identification is with the Immortal, all-pervading Self.
Our identity with name and form or the physical body is required only in the external world. We are more than the sum of our physical body, mind and desires. Therefore, it is important that while we do our duty in the physical world in keeping with our various identities and roles, simultaneously, we need to remind ourselves of our real identity, That, and live with that consciousness.
True, to reconcile the physical (body and earthly relationships) and the spiritual (Supreme consciousness) is not an easy thing to do. However, we can try to understand the import of these truths and practise them as much as we can. As the Gita says: “The more we are able to identify with the Self, the less will we be affected by pleasure and pain