What We Are Has Little Bearing On Who We Can Be

They say that I have a past life - that I used to be a prince who lived a long time ago. Some even say that the stars determine my destiny, my thoughts and feelings and the kind of partner I will, naturally be attracted to. In others, what will be will be. All these things determine my future before I came into existence.

How many people have been humiliated for their wrong doings? How many, as a consequence, believed that because of a few misdoings in the past, they will have been, for the rest of their lives, be indelibly labelled  like the numbers ingrained on the body of every Jew during Hitler’s final solution?

But why would they think of themselves that way? By what manner or hidden philosophical view of theirs about their selves (and the world) made them think and behave as though the past has pre-determined their present and the future?

There is a difference between what you are and who you are. When is confused for the other, we get, as a result, a belief so ingrained in us that we believe that the past predetermines the future.

What are we? We’re made out of the same biological soup as every organic thing, living or non living. As belong to the human race, we have same DNA (just a very miniscule strain that separates us from primates). Scientists say that by studying our genes, they can tell a lot about our physical appearance, our predisposition, our level of aggressiveness, our chances of getting cancer, our height. The list goes on. But, that is what we are, the whatness.

But, who are we? The who is what distinguishes our lives from those of the others. The who-ness is that which is made up of specific actions, our initial reactions to external stimuli. And, if we apply rational judgment, we can opt not to react but rather to respond to external stimuli.

There’s seems to be no doubt that our what-ness makes us initially view and react to certain situations. But, we can change that. We can respond. With proper self reflection, our determination not to have past actions and behavior determine our present and future actions, we can change the course of our personal history. And, it is because our responsive-ness, or, more accurately, our ability to respond rationally and responsibly (response-ability = responsibility), that our future is not and cannot yet be written. Up in the stars; or, down there in our genes.

In other words, it’s up to us if we want to effect change. We may not be able to change what we are; but we can certainly determine who we can be. And, by be-ing, I am not talking about being a doctor, an engineer, an accountant, or a bum. It does not matter what career or job we take on. What’s more important is to strive to live as authentically as we can be.