Who Are You? That seems like a simple question to answer, but if you think about it, that inquiry is much more wide-ranging and deep than we first suspect. In America, we are taught at an early age that we are our jobs. We are defined by the work we do and to seek definition beyond the 9-5 workday is to not have value in society and your essence isn’t allowed to linger long beyond the cubicle unless you are staked to a family.
Who Are You?
- I am a lawyer.
- I am a sanitation engineer.
- I am a venture capitalist.
Students are not immune from the by-rote reply. When I ask them who they are, I get back a pseudo-militaristic answer in three boring parts. Who Are You?
- Name: ___________.
- Rank: I am a (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior).
- Serial Number: I am from _________.
Students are defined by their schooling first and then by their jobs upon graduation.
To dare someone to move beyond describing their life in work terms immediately earns the second most popular, but still boring, answer: Family.
Who Are You?
- I am married.
- I have three children.
- I am a (grandparent, aunt, sister, etc.).
It is the rare person who imaginatively replies to a “Who Are You?” inquiry with a genuine expression of human emotion that tempts abstraction and solidifies a non-definition that rattles and riddles more than answering.
Who Are You?
- I am the expression of dreams beyond facts.
- I am the hopes of the poor and dying.
- I am an unspoken blessing in (tatters, human form, twilight, etc.).
- I am an unfinished piece of art.
- I am a wonderment that never wounds.
- I am unique in the world sharing a common essence.
- I am a healer for the misbegotten.
Is the reason people answer “Who Are You?” with rote responses because they think we expect a standard reply in our asking?
Why are Americans defined first by their jobs and then by their families? Is the reason caused by the need to appear part of a greater whole and as a workable cog in the family core?
I have one question for you and one question only:
Who Are You?
I look forward to the imaginative temptation of your non-standard reply — and you are certainly encouraged to be as specific or cryptic as you wish.
If you want to really help add to the discussion, ask three people today “Who Are You?” and post their replies here. If they ask what you mean, just repeat the question. Let them form their own answer based on your simple inquiry. I’m also interested in knowing where in the world you are asking that question and how long it takes your respondents to provide an answer. If you decide to ask your questions online in your blog or other online entity, please link back to this article so we can follow the discussion!