"Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is one alive who is youer than you." Wise words from the wisest, Dr. Seuss. The doctor had it right. Too often we are so wrapped up in our lives that we forget to think, "Who am I? What do I stand for? What makes me, me?" Now, I can't answer any of these questions for you, let alone myself. But I can help give you a start in the right direction. Yesterday, I had some of the best conversations with some really awesome people (Shout outs to Double L, Savery, Amanda, Kendall). These conversations helped me realize that as a society, we let the wrong things define us. Here is what I think. You can take it to contemplate, accept, or refute. It's your choice.
You are not defined by your relationships. You are an individual, a part of a collective unit of this society; a person with different perspectives on different issues. You are not defined by your relationship with your friends. You are not defined by your relationship with a significant other. You are not defined by your relationship to your school work, your athletics (if applicable), your music, your job. All of that is a part of you, but not who you are. You are a person. When people see me, I hope they do not say, "That's Patrick. He's an RA and he runs... for fun! Who does that?" Or, "That's Amy, she's dating David." That exclamation tells me nothing about who Amy is. So, I challenge all of you to define characteristics and qualities about people, rather than what they do. I know too many people who have terrible jobs, but are some of the most compassionate people in the world. Next time someone asks, "Hey, do you know that person?" Tell them WHO that person is. "Yeah, that's Amy. She's a very sweet person who smiles all of the time."
Have a great week five!
I hope midterms aren't too hard on you!
Patrick
In dedication to the GREAT Dr. Seuss