Jack’s Winning Words 6/26/07
“Who is it that can tell me who I am?” (Shakespeare “King Lear”) Jesus had that trouble with some of those who met him. What answer would you give? Who gives you the best insight on your identity? Who is your human mirror? ;-) Jack

FROM GOOD DEBT JON IN OHIO: We are the sum total of our experiences—strained through our vision and values, and ideally, guided by a purposeful mission. Time alone with paper and pen allows us to discover who we are. If we allow the enterprise of advertising and politics to influence who we are, we may be uneasy with our results. As Charles D. Hayes writes, “Advertising is an emotional enterprise directed at people who are, for all practical purposes, emotionally illiterate.” Combine the “training” you receive from advertisers with a bit of consumer debt, spew a few undigested political thoughts (FOX,CNN, MSNBC, et al) and in a few years you become unrecognizable—even to self. It is YOU that must answer who you are.

MORE FROM JON: My teachers are filtered media—meaning we need to use all sources of media, the Bible, mentors, etc. And then, examine them critically. I could do very well just adopting the values of my wife and a few mentors I hang with. My rant was directed at those that allow popular culture and media to define them—without having ever examined themselves. Once again I have used too many words to basically agree with you.

FROM J.M. IN COLORADO: Do we ever REALLY know since we keep evolving during our lifetimes? Am I the same person I was 10 or 20 years ago?

FROM L.K. IN OHIO: I think I am a kaleidoscope of my own self-assessment plus reflection/feedback from interaction with others. No one but God has the perfect view.

FROM C.H. ON CAPE COD: And then there's Bonhoeffer's poem from prison, "Who Am I?"

BONHOFFER'S POEM: Who Am I?
Dietrich Bonhöffer, a young theologian of great promise, was martyred by the Nazis for his participation in a plot against the life of Adolf Hitler. His writings have greatly influenced recent theological thought. This article appeared in the Journal Christianity and Crisis, March 4, 1946. Used by permission. This article was prepared for Religion Online by Ted & Winnie Brock.
Who am I? They often tell me
I stepped from my cell’s confinement
Calmly, cheerfully, firmly,
Like a squire from his country-house.
Who am I? They often tell me
I used to speak to my warders
Freely and friendly and clearly,
As though it were mine to command.
Who am I? They also tell me
I bore the days of misfortune
Equally, smilingly, proudly,
Like one accustomed to win.

Am I then really all that which other men tell of?
Or am I only what I myself know of myself?
Restless and longing and sick, like a bird in a cage,
Struggling for breath, as though hands were
compressing my throat,
Yearning for colors, for flowers, for the voices of birds,
Thirsting for words of kindness, for neighborliness,
Tossing in expectation of great events,
Powerlessly trembling for friends at an infinite distance,
Weary and empty at praying, at thinking, at making,
Faint, and ready to say farewell to it all?

Who am I? This or the other?
Am I one person today and tomorrow another?
Am I both at once? A hypocrite before others,
And before myself a contemptibly woebegone weakling?
Or is something within me still like a beaten army,
Fleeing in disorder from victory already achieved?
Who am I? They mock me, these lonely questions of mine.
Whoever I am, Thou knowest, 0 God, I am Thine!

March 4,1946

FROM F.M. IN WISCONSIN: I don't know if there is any person who can tell me who I am completely. There are several who can tell me something about me, and I need to be open to all of them, my wife, my sons, my daughters in law, my neighbors, my pastor, my friends, etc. Each know me, but no one know we totally. Maybe inner reflection and meditation are important to help us tell us who we are.

FROM C.R. IN WHO KNOWS WHERE: .....as was the case with Jesus. Others see who they see through their own eyes, but what or whom do they really "see"....what they perceive or what is? .......Can anyone really "see" another or ,for that matter, can anyone really "see" himself as he "is" or only as he perceives himself to be. Jesus had that problem and, as recorded later, wasn't always consistent in his self-awareness.

FROM R.R. IN DETROIT: My dear wife has a Mary Engelbriet calendar that she loves. There was a quotation today that made me think of you. “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.” – Marcel Proust

FROM J.F. IN NOVA SCOTIA: Have you seen Monty Python's "The Meaning of Life"? I think one could have a good discussion group around it.