Who Do You KNOW You Are?

My wife and I live on a small farm amidst larger farms in Basse Normandie. We grow a variety of fruits and vegetables, as well as keep goats and chickens. Several months ago I wrote a blog entitled “East of Eden”, in which I stated that animals metaphorically live in the biblical Eden, as they are always what they were created to be. The same applies to plants. The acorn, if let alone, will grow into an oak tree–and so it goes with other plants and their seeds. Of all living things on this earth, only humanity has to wrestle with the “Who am I?” question…and some of us die before we ever find the answer. For me this is one of life’s greatest tragedies.

Another of life’s tragedies is that we humans often assume that we alone, of all creatures, have a purpose for our lives. We naïvely–or stupidly–assume that other animals have no real purpose in living except what we assign to them. Thus we see numerous species hunted to extinction. Several years ago, when my wife and I were living for a short time in the US, I attended a dinner of old schoolmates. One of them was eagerly showing the photo of several animals he had shot on some rural land he owns. I have been able to block out of mind the others in the photo, but I can still see the bobcat. The shooter didn’t have any animals or crops being affected by the ones he had shot; he simply wanted to shoot them because they were there. After all, what purpose did they serve? Please take 3-4 minutes to watch the following video. I’ll wait. https://youtu.be/ysa5OBhXz-Q

Amazing, isn’t it? Take one animal out of the ecosystem and all becomes chaos. It is not our business to decide the purposes innate in other creatures–human or otherwise. The bottom line is: if we, as individuals, do not know or realise our truest selves, then we won’t begin to discern the purpose of any other living being. The persons we project ourselves to be are nothing like what we know ourselves to be–deep inside. Look at the money women and men(!) pour into cosmetics in order to look…like what or whom? Across the globe, in 2022, people spent over $100 billion on cosmetics, and this is expected to rise by 6.85% annually through 2026. That’s a lot of money to spend so that we won’t look like the person who greets us in the mirror each morning. And then there is liposuction, cosmetic surgery and the list goes on. How much of this is driven by social media?–knowing that we are “on call” 24/7 and liable to be seen on one screen or another?

But the real issue lies deeper; not in our physique, but in our psyche. Too many people dare not look inside and will do just about anything not to spend time by themselves–or in silence. One refreshing thing about having worked in the prison environment is that people in prison have been yanked off life’s treadwheel and away from all material distractions. Yes, some simply retreat deeper inside themselves and their lies, but many others come face-to-face with themselves for the first time. Those who have suffered any addiction and resorted to a 12-Steps programme have the same experience of meeting their true selves. The marvellous aspect of all this is when they find that they are lovable–just as they are–no masks, no lies , no false projections.

I cannot say for certain, but it is intriguing to consider that perhaps the discovery of our true selves–the persons you and I are meant to be–is our most valuable purpose on this earth. The persons you and I are, right now, are unique. The ancient carbon in your billions of cells, animated by the breath of life (ruakh, pneuma, spiritus) will only take this form once. Don’t blow it! Live your life, not a lie. Embrace it!