Who Am I?

Who am I? What constitutes “self?” Can “I” be determined without “not-I?” What groups am I a part of? Can the groups I consider myself a part of (us) be delineated without defining “not-us?” These are some of the questions that both plague and expand the human condition today as they have throughout our short existence on this planet. The questions themselves are important and central in how humanity has historically made sense of and acted towards our individual and social consciousness. How one answers helps both self’ and not-self come to a greater understanding of our world. This is a vital tool in cognizing the knowledge of living experience we gather as we pass through from birth to death.

As an educator, I find it equally fascinating as to why each of us answers these questions in the manner that we do. Our information-rich society here in the United States of America deals constantly in answering ‘Who?’, ‘What?’, ‘Where?’, ‘When?’, and sometimes even bothers to answer ‘How?’ Rarely though are we asked to examine “Why?” and bring what our experiences to a level of critical awareness. I believe this question, more so than any other, to be the fundamental difference in how non-humans and Homo sapiens cognize and interact with our world.

When an animal as intelligent as a human being does not cognize ‘Why?’ the results can be both disastrous and incredible. As objects of our creation go, the Hoover Dam comes to mind. It is an architectural marvel, no doubt, though it continues to wreak ecological havoc throughout the Colorado River System and its tributaries. In this forum I do not speak of such objects but the very nature of our society. Those of us who seek a better, more humane world for ourselves and our brethren should examine the dynamics of sectarian objectifications of “not-us” and how those objectifications can all-too-quickly lead to an addiction to indiscriminate war and the destruction of our own magnificence.