Interpretation
When I wrote the questions yesterday I was aware that they could have been interpreted and answered in different ways.
1. One way would have been a more abstract, 'deep', poetic or philosophical route - and I think everyone who answered went that way.
2. Another way could have been very basic and literal ... E.g. I am Mary Smith, 56 years old, divorced mother of 3 boys (now men). I live in the suburbs and work in a library. I have three dogs, two cats and one rabbit. I walk 2 miles every day even if its raining ... etc. (a kind of Who are the people in your neighbourhood ... or bloghood).
3. From another perspective, the questions ask (again basic): who are you (as a person) and why are you here (reading this blog)? I sometimes wonder how people found it, why they read it and why some return - including those who find it trite or baffling.
4. It could also mean: who are you when you strip away your name, your occupation, your gender, your age, your nationality, etc. - the labels by which the world 'defines' you and uses to place you into societal boxes. And why are you here? What is your purpose, your mission, your reason for being on earth?
5. I suppose there are even more ways of looking at those two questions.
*
I'm not sure how I would have interpreted the Q's had I just seen them (and not written them). Who are you? I don't find that an easy question - but it is thought provoking. I might just have put "I am ..." (those dots can be followed by many things or nothing). From the time one starts putting adjectives or labels after those three dots, others naturally make assumptions and form opinions based on their own perspectives of those words - and then what is perceived is not who I really am at my core. I am ... leaves it open (because we are not closed or close-ended).
*
Why am I here? I would most likely have first thought of that question in terms of my purpose, because that's something I often wonder about (... although not as often as I used to).
*
Just out of curiosity, I typed Who are you? into Google.tt and got this as the top answer. I typed Why are you here? and got this .
*
Elspeth
1. One way would have been a more abstract, 'deep', poetic or philosophical route - and I think everyone who answered went that way.
2. Another way could have been very basic and literal ... E.g. I am Mary Smith, 56 years old, divorced mother of 3 boys (now men). I live in the suburbs and work in a library. I have three dogs, two cats and one rabbit. I walk 2 miles every day even if its raining ... etc. (a kind of Who are the people in your neighbourhood ... or bloghood).
3. From another perspective, the questions ask (again basic): who are you (as a person) and why are you here (reading this blog)? I sometimes wonder how people found it, why they read it and why some return - including those who find it trite or baffling.
4. It could also mean: who are you when you strip away your name, your occupation, your gender, your age, your nationality, etc. - the labels by which the world 'defines' you and uses to place you into societal boxes. And why are you here? What is your purpose, your mission, your reason for being on earth?
5. I suppose there are even more ways of looking at those two questions.
*
I'm not sure how I would have interpreted the Q's had I just seen them (and not written them). Who are you? I don't find that an easy question - but it is thought provoking. I might just have put "I am ..." (those dots can be followed by many things or nothing). From the time one starts putting adjectives or labels after those three dots, others naturally make assumptions and form opinions based on their own perspectives of those words - and then what is perceived is not who I really am at my core. I am ... leaves it open (because we are not closed or close-ended).
*
Why am I here? I would most likely have first thought of that question in terms of my purpose, because that's something I often wonder about (... although not as often as I used to).
*
Just out of curiosity, I typed Who are you? into Google.tt and got this as the top answer. I typed Why are you here? and got this .
*
Elspeth
posted by Elspeth at Saturday, February 11, 2006
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home