Who Are You?
In the movie Alice in Wonderland, the caterpillar asks Alice, point blankly, “Who are you?” The two get into it. He repeatedly asks her, “Who are YOU?” She voices her confusion. He doesn’t like her reasons for not knowing how to answer the question. I’d describe it as a savage attack of psychological warfare. He could use a lesson in empathy. She challenges him with the same question he asks of her. That doesn’t go over well. At one point in the movie she says, “I’m just Alice.”
Who are you? Who am I?
When we’re asked that question, we often hang our identity on what makes logical sense to proudly proclaim. There is a sense of respectable responsibility that inevitably comes with stating, “I am a student. I am a graduate. I am married. I am a homeowner. I am a mother. I am a father. I am a daughter. I am a son. I am a wife. I am a husband. I am a grandmother. I am a grandfather. I am a sister. I am a brother. I am an aunt. I am an uncle. I am a doctor, I am a lawyer. I am an officer. I am a business owner. I am a teacher. I am a nurse. I am a speaker. I volunteer at XYZ. I am passionate about the ABC cause.” We hang out hat on what brings us joy and what we’ve built.
But who are you when those titles are stripped?
Who are you, in your soul?
Who are you - underneath the qualities that society deems appropriate?
Are you loyal?
Are you kind?
Are you faithful?
Are you committed?
Are you someone you would be friends with?
Are you rooting for others to win?
Who are you when all that can be taken from you is gone?
Who are you when no one is watching?
If tomorrow you were gone, what would be the legacy you leave behind?
What are you doing to build it?
How do you want to be remembered? Act like it.
I pray I’m remembered for my perseverance and determination, despite the odds. I pray I’m remembered for being real, honest, loving with my heart split open, trusting myself, setting boundaries, believing in my goals, having vision, and working with a fierce grit.
Think about who you are.
Take time to answer the question.
Take the rest of your life living who you want to be.
But remember - once it’s over, it’s over.
Tomorrow is not promised.