Who you are; what you are

Egay Uy .

I POSED a question on an Internet search engine and I got several replies.  Somebody who works at Hewlett-Packard opines that beyond one’s identity as human being with a name, the question has myriad layers of nuance to unpack.

He adds that one may know his name but that does not mean he really knows who he really is inside. One’s essence is not capsulized in his name that was imposed on him without his consent when his parents were probably less concerned about his future through the name they have given their offspring.

As to what we are, there are many ways of defining ourselves – job, hobbies, marital status, nationality, religion, some of which are permanent and some do change. He thinks we have the choice to define what we are as long as it is true, e.g., don’t boast your being a preacher of the Word if you act like you own the world, and worse, the universe. Above all, don’t let others decide what you are.

Somebody else, an engineer, wrote, “When I think of who I am, the first thought that comes to mind is my name.  Going deeper, I realize that my identity is in fact the sum total of the lives, successes and struggles of my family, my ancestor.”

He adds that when it comes what he is, a sadistic smile appears on his lips.  He says he is Dark Overlord and not the Dr. Dolittle kind of dark. He does dark, evil things with the help of his minion army – he breaks tube lights for fun.

Still another responder added what somebody is – essentially the person someone project himself as.  His job, circle of friends, car, salary – the external qualities that seem to be superficial.  The “who” could refer to the kind of person somebody actually is – kind, cruel, insecure, to name a few.

Then a spiritual coach said what you are is always the way you present yourself and the things you do. Who you are is the person underneath all that – your feelings, attitudes and values.

Unfortunately, people misperceive others all the time, either judging the by what they appear to be and what they say socially, instead of getting to know them better to find out where their armor comes from.

Now I think I understand what my classmate and page neighbor, Rhona Canoy, meant by “Who You Are.”

(Egay Uy is a lawyer. He chairs the City’s Regulatory and Complaint Board, co-chairs with the city mayor the City Price Coordinating Council, and chairs the city’s Joint Inspection Team.  He retired as a vice president of Cepalco.)