What are you?

This "thing" reading your post is a 68 year old, retired, relatively happy, third generation Japanese American. I'm the product of the American environment. I have a pretty close-net family, although as kids my siblings and I rarely did anything together as a family. After nine-eleven, we started having a quarterly sibling lunch. I'm a husband, a father, a brother, and friends to many around this world, and I'm involved with A2K. c.i.

That's the real trick, isn't it? :wink:

It's pretty easy to define "who" we are, as c.i. did, but determining "what" we are is a bit more challenging.

I can say that "I" am the consciousness that is created by the brain inhabiting this particular body, and talk about neurological processes, memory, REM states and psychology. But what is a consciousness, anyway?

I can compare consciousness to the patterns on a computer screen created by a combination of hardware and software, but as far as we know a computer is not conscious and never will be. And "I" am not a computer.

I can describe the feeling of awareness I have and speculate on whether other animals have similar awareness. But what is awareness?

I can post a lot of mystical claptrap about souls and oneness with the universe without ever defining what a soul is.

No, I cannot answer your question, but I will be interested to see if anyone else can.

I am the sum of billions of years of manipulations by nature of all the atoms that constantly renew and break down within (and somewhat without) this vessel called body and self. I am a transcendence of mere chemical formulas, for I have self knowledge and manipulate my environment, quite often on my own terms. I reach out to other similar vessels, even procreate with some. I play host to millions of other vessels (microbes). I express myself in many ways, vocally and physically. I carry within remnants of the past and bodings for the future. I have a pronounced altruism. I have within me the opposites of physics: love/hate/; sorrow/peacefulness; anger/acceptance; etc. And yet all these opposites mesh together to make up one viable human being.

I am tickled pink that you ask such a question.



I am an intelligent being. I see myself how others see me, as defined by *who* I am as well as THINKING I know of who and what I am through social conditioning, environmental effects, peer groups, etc etc. This is an ever changing definition.
I refuse to give futher information until the *what* is defined in particular and in a direct manner. If no particular is defined, I am only able to generalize the *what* and define my particular *who* and my belief is that would just be incorrect.

But, WHAT do I know?

quinn, I believe you are a young person who still worries about showing thyself. c.i.

I am a beloved child of God, created in His/Her image and likeness.

we are stardust

we are golden

we are billion year old carbon

and we got to get ourselves

back to the garden

We are actually the intermediary of a long chain of homo sapiens that walk this earth. c.i.

What you havent seen the pictures?

Okay Okay..I am who the voices tell me to be.

quinn, Provide the link or post your picture on this forum. c.i.

bookmark

For now, I am the unfortunate captive of a talkative boyfriend who refuses to allow me to think of anything intellectual to say.

I am a person who will have to awaken after he is asleep and through slitted eyes and yawns repsond, hoping my content makes some sort of sense.

Now, pull that drummer out from behind that bottle.
Bring me my pipe, we're gonna shake it.
Slap that drummer with a pie that smells.
Take me down to California, baby
Take me down to California, baby
Take me down to California, baby

'tis i....

I'm just a country girl who loves to learn and create things. I am happy with myself and need plenty of wide open spaces, fresh air, peace and quiet, the wilderness, the ocean, and good people in my life. The simple things in life are what make me the happiest.

Husband, father, engineer, Christian, stuck in a job I hate, trying to do my best and not quite sure if it's going to be good enough.

I know you are, but what am I?

I'm a little teapot, short and stout.

All good answers so far. Thank you

In 1956 when Hollywood presumed to answer this question for God in the movie The Ten Commandments, they did it with a burning bush which spoke to Charlton Heston. Its answer was, "I Am".

If we forget our past, and our knowledge, and just focus on what we are thinking at any given moment, are our answers the same; simply "I Am"?

Or can we qualify it... I am a person, I am a thought, I am alone, I am the universe dreaming, I am an illusion, I am nothing, I am everything; the God of a self contained world.

I am a dream of life. What are you?

Quinn will be very grateful for that description . . .

I am the King of Ireland
I love to sing and dance
And if you don't believe me
I will kick you in your pants