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Understanding the workings of the world (The Concept of Human Identity…
Understanding the workings of the world
The Concept of Human Identity
Eastern Ideology
core concepts of eastern mindset
The "onion" self !
you do not have a "core" that makes up who you are. There are layers to a person, but no deep and true core. The idea of a "self" is a construct
"chainmail" analogy of self (people are ever-changing, no concrete self that remains over time)
I believe in this view of self, and I can even see it in my journals I kept throughout middle school and high school.
Collectivism
Buddhist ideas on the self
the not-self claims that the self is not a single entity with a core identity, but a being with a multitude of influences and controls over oneself.
the “aggravates” make up what the self is. They are: consciousness, mental formations, form (body), feeling, and perception
The aggravates are all impermanent and we do not have control over them.
Since we do not have mental control over where our feelings, body, perception, etc. come from, we do not control over our natural disposition, however we do have control over how we restrain those learned and conditioned parts of us.
Taoism
Balance: the self is all about finding balance between two extremes
living in "balance" is what nature does, and we are a part of nature, so we should reflect that
Gangaji argues that the true "self" is the "silent awareness" that we all possess, but most are not aware of.
Western Ideology
core concepts of western mindset:
Individualsm
do what you can to benefit yourself and your needs
humans are all in competition with each other
The "peach" self !
How you see yourself v. How others see you
how others see you
filtered version of you: how you express yourself on social media
others base their perception of you based on that they already know about you
How you see yourself
Father John Misty strives to authentically display himself in the way that he sees himself
I view myself as unique, I am not fungible and replaceable
What is the "self"? Is it real ?
evidence for:
the "peach" view of self
the "continuous" self
The body theory
There is one thing that remains constant about "you" for your whole life: your body
The Memory Theory
personal identity is made of memories that persist over time; these memories make you "you"
my memory is malleable and impermeable. I notice this very often when I am trying to recall a story, and someone else is recalling the same one and we can't agree on the details of what really happened
Our memories can be biased.
kahneman's research suggests: We create standards out of memories, thinking this was the best time and this was the worst time.
evidence against (the self is constructed):
the "onion" view of self
Heraclitus' view of self
"You can never step in the same river twice"
do we have free will? or control over ourselves?
our brains are one step ahead of us
How in control of ourselves is our conscience?
The microbes in our gut can influence what food we crave, and even possibly make us depressed
Are we really making decisions on what we like to eat?
are the microbes in out gut controlling what we want to eat and how we feel like they were in the rat experiment?
your brain know what you will do 10 seconds before you realize what you will do
The "non continuous" self
People do things all the time that others would completely not expect of them; the self is always changing and lacks a binding essential characteristic
Hume's argument
There is no fixed identity; evolution drives us to continually change
The "chainmail analogy"
Dan Gilbert argues that the only thing only that remains constant in our life is not that core that makes us who we are, but the existence of constant change.
Gilbert also says, it is so easy to llook backwards and observe the change we have undergone, but very difficult to look to the future and predict the change that will occur. We cant know what is going to happen to us, and therefore we don't know who we will be in the future. A traumatic or life changing event could cause great change to us in the future.
You have differing identities for friends, family, professors etc., so there is no true identity
my relationship with others
Do I create my identity on what others expect of me/ what I expect of myself/the groups that I am a part of?
communication with others is altered over text/ because of technology
“its when we stumble or hesitate to lose our words that we reveal ourselves to one another. ”
it is when we are vulnerable, that we can truly connect with another person. This is very difficult to do, not in person.
The more time people spend on their phones, not connecting with other humans, the more they feel alone.
It is easy to not be my "real" self around others, and instead change myself so people like me
"Alone Together"
Life on the micro scale
Life on the micro scale reflects life on the macro scale!
ex: Life the World itself, your body is an ecosystem with billions of organisms that all have their own agendas.
I see the extremely complex and complicated nature of all things as evidence that there is a higher power
This system that we can see within ourselves can be seem everywhere in our lives. Each person is an one entity in the body of humanity. Each planet and star is one entity in the body of the universe.
Mysteries of the tiniest scale
Atoms behave differently when they are being watched. Why? We do not know - Many things we do not yet understand on the nature of the world .
we still do not know the true power the microbes in our gut have over our brains
Life on the Macro scale
99% of all species that have existed on earth are now extinct
humans feel this sense of security, when we really have only been around for a blip of earth's history
Concepts that deal with perspectives on life
Essential v. Non essential Qualities
Essential - emotional attachment,; "one-of-a-kind"
Nonessential - fungibility ( can be replaced, has no sentimental value )
Idea of Heraclitus's ship
How much can something change without losing the "essence" of itself"?
If I I let other's opinions of myself affect the way I feel about myself, I feel inauthentic and "fake"
I feel happiest when I am unaware or not thinking about others opinions on me or on what I am doing
If i am too aware of of others opinions, or what everyone considers "cool," it makes me question what I like to do and ultimate makes me unhappy
I want to have agency over how I see myself, so I I feel it is necessary to surround myself with people who love and accept my vulnerable and honest self
Personal influences on my perspective
Catholicism
Growing unsure of it in adolescence made me a more skeptical person
I approach many people and large organizations with skepticism, and am now naturally suspicious
gave me a very serious view of life growing up
gave me an understanding of the importance and a love of helping others
Growing up
by a city
gave me a want to be busy and to be doing things !
being an
avid reader
forced my to consider other perspectives on life other than the ones I was surrounded with at home
made me more empathetic
introoduced me to very different perspectives and circumstances others deal with
constant reminder that I never know what other people are going through
made me love spending time with my imagination
the Influence of
my family
:
my two siblings:
competitive nature
my sense of humor
foundation for how I treat my friends/ how my friend relationships work
based with humor
difficult time apologizing when I do something wrong
sense of loyalty
my parents:
love and respect of nature
kindness goes a long way
always try your best
Our view of our "selves" can be influenced too much by outside influences:
Self - reflection is necessary for me to truly understand myself, especially in today's world where we constantly distract ourselves with technology and never sit with our boredom or our feelings
I often delete instagram if I feel like I am spending too much time on it and not truly engaging with my own life
In Bandersnatch, one charactor talks about the possibility of infinite realities based on different decisions you could make.
pac-man
maybe this life is just one of infinite realities
