Dearest Zoe of Bronx, New York is at it again: persuading me
to the question ‘Who am I?’ OK, let’s take it from the top.
I have a body and it has a name, but so does Myrtle the
Mannequin that stands in a shop window. So what else do I have? The life force;
I think therefore I am. (Actually, I had the oddest notion that I might die in
my sleep last night, but I seem not to have done. Time will tell. Nobody’s
spoken to me today yet.) Well, so does everybody else, so I can’t claim that
makes me in any way unique.
Where am I up to?
Oh yes, where I’m up to is what’s left, and what’s left is a
bundle of inner characteristics – my ideals, my principles, my standards, my
sensibilities, my interests, my sense of humour, etc, etc. Right then, they’re
the things that make me unique. But aren’t they just about potential,
rather than having any inherent value? People might say:
‘I like you because you’re kind to birds.’
‘I respect you because you’re intelligent and solve problems.’
‘I value you because you help me with my homework.’
And this has me wondering. Am I only a unique and worthwhile
individual as long as my inner characteristics are in some way relating to
external factors such as people, the environment, or whatever? If those
characteristics amount merely to potential, doesn’t that make me truly
analogous with a battery that is worthless until it’s plugged into something?
That’s where I’m up to.
And just to go back to the top, dearest Zoe is well plugged
in. Instead of faffing about in some higher education establishment, she’s
making a difference to the lives of poor inner city kids. She has guts, so if
you should come across her, give her respect. I’m not sure that my poor old
battery has enough voltage left any more.
2 comments:
As a living being, you are constantly interacting with and relating to your environment and the individuals in it (both human and non-human animal alike). So I suppose we are all like batteries, though we are never unplugged until we're dead and gone, bodies totally reabsorbed into the soil. And even then . . . the energy transfer is still there as other organisms derive sustenance from our remains. It's a never ending cycle. I suppose that's a little more than you were thinking . . . but, well, it's true.
Also, I feel you have intrinsic value simply because you ARE living, just the same as a sparrow or a fox does. But that bit of an extra boost comes from HOW you interact with your environment. If you do so harmoniously, well then, that's wonderful. Does that make any sense?
Of course it makes sense, and thank you for the comment. The question of identity and worth has been debated down the centuries, and will continue to be so. I was just throwing out a little thought.
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