Do you know me?

Do you know me?

I know that’s a naive question.

Most of you know me. I’m Jaise Joseph, I’m from Kerala, that to many know.

But what is special with that question. Do you know me?

Like many, who couldn’t go out for a haircut due to lockdown, I also tried to give me a hair cut. That’ haircut went so bad that I had to do this, shave my hairs. Unfortunately, that’s the fate of all first-time hairdressers.  When I came out after finishing it, my 1-year old kid looked at me, He was in fact staring at me as if he saw a stranger. He was not ready to come near me. For him his dad had hairs and this man don’t have any hairs! I don’t know you!

This incident made me think, think a bit deeper. Over the years we change a lot. It will be difficult for someone to find me from the group photos taken in school days. I am sure that will be the case with most of us. In this case is it right to think ourselves as the same person? Or do we turn around and say to our past that I don’t know you

The idea of personal identity is far trickier than what one think. What is it? Where exactly is it located. Here is a small though exercise

1.       If I loss my hair, would you still identity me as me?

2.       If I loss a finger

3.       Or in an unfortunate accident I loss my leg

I know definitely, you will say I know you

Okay here is one more. This one is interesting here choice is yours.

I am a demon with all superpower. And I am going to take all your body pasts, but you can keep one. What would you keep?

Most of us will keep our brain the seating place of memory consciousness intelligence. 

This also means there is something that is more me-ish. Which defines one’s personal identity. But what is that.

I stayed in Pune for four and half years in the initial part of my career. I was able to pick up Marathi apart from the language I knew that is English Malayalam and Tamil, a technical skill I accrued. But after I moved to Bangalore in the latter part of my career, the long 5 years took off whatever Marathi I learned. Forgetting speaking Marathi, doesn’t make someone I friended when I was Pune to say, I don’t know you!

Is it memory makes me. If I forget everything, like all travels and trekking I made, all the books I read. All my friends, The Wonderfull school days in my Village, and the college days, Does it take my personal identity away.

I would say No.

My kid who was not ready to come near me after I shaved my head start to play with me when I started speaking to him and started playing with me.

So,.. If I am responding to the situation and my sense of what is funny, wise or important remains the same. And, if I am still taking challenges as I was taking then no one will say, I don’t know you. But definitely, some should remind me, my past  

All the decisions we make are a reflection of our values and beliefs. The question of personal identity then boils down to the way we respond  . values and temperament. Value, that’s the key. Our values are important because they help us to grow and develop. The values like Truthfulness, Love, Compassion, Loyalty and many more defines a good person. The good part is these values complement each other. There is no Love without compassion and no compassion without Love.  Be it any religion, philosophy thought process one which teaches us values, one should aim in becoming manifestations of that values. When you hear the name Mahathma Gandhi, what values come to your mind. When Abraham Lincon.

Now The question is to you. Do you know me? Or More importantly, Do you know yourself?

Thank you.

Courtesy: School of Life