What Defines You?

Life has been really wonderful this week. I am finally understanding enough at work and am taking steps to becoming part of the team instead of just watching from the sidelines.While not at work, I find that I crave moments sitting down with a cup of hot tea and a book, and these moments seem to be more frequent. 

Thoughts this week--

I'm becoming enlightened and wondering about what makes a person. Can you define someone by what they claim to be or by the interactions you experience with them? Most importantly, can you actually define someone? Aren't we all in a constant state of growth, learning from all the experiences we have? 

I think about interactions I've had with people where I thought I knew how they would react in certain situations and was proven wrong or pleasantly surprised. Most of my knowledge of the people around me comes from my assumptions of why they do certain things. I wonder if all the labels we place on people are just our own creations. My immediate reaction is embarrassment in myself for being foolish in assuming things about a person instead of discussing ideas with them.

But what if it isn't foolish. Does an assumption become truth if it is not corrected?

I am reminded of a quote from one of my favorite movies, My Sassy Girl. The quote says, 

"Do we live in the physical world that we can touch, or do we live in the world that we create in our minds?" 

I wonder if people feel like they know me or if anyone actually does. I feel like I know myself. My mom taught me, when I was a young girl, to write down the person I thought I was and the person I wanted to be in this world. Since my youth, I've been constantly writing lists of who I believe I am and who I want to be. The lists have transformed from descriptions of "lost, depressed, overweight, angry and loving" to descriptions now which include, "happy, strong, caring, passionate, seeking knowledge, and growing". I imagine that while my core beliefs and morals have held constant, I am in a constant state of growth; either growing to achieve the person I am supposed to be in this world, or growing to paint a picture of a person I will be. And yet, these are ways that I see myself. I'm sure others view my life with different descriptions. 

This week I wrote a thought on the white board in my room. It reads,"Live the life you get envious watching others live." This quote has served as an encouragement this week as I continue making weekend plans and transforming my everyday routine into something I am passionate about.

So what defines a person? Who are these people that we interact with? I wonder if we took away assumptions of the people around us, would we see who they really are? For example, I know that someone I see at church must be a Christian, so I assume they are a Christian. But they don't necessarily have to be. Maybe the only way to know someone is by actually experiencing them and their thoughts. And maybe it isn't our right to define people in the first place. But will the world work this way? How would something like marketing to a consumer work if we are unable to define people?

 Alas, this is mostly just blabbering from the mind of someone who might think too much. I'll stay lively, skipping through life as I do and enjoying the experiences I have with others, trying not to define people and allowing them to define themselves in my life.

C'est la vie.

Karli