It seems like a simple enough question, but it is one for which I have no single answer. Am I defined by my constitution and my physical reality? Am I comprised of a list of actions and deeds? Am I the collection of memories that I've formed over the years of my existence? Am I the tangential reality of the cusp of decisions made and unmade?
It seems that I, myself, me, change not only by the company that I keep, but the references to which I am exposed. To say, "I am this," implies an understanding of this which is based upon the range of experiences that I have already had. I am tall, I am short, I am old, I am young, these all rely implicitly on points of reference which lean silently upon realities over which I not only have no control but also have no possibility of a complete experience with. So how is that different from myself changed by the company I keep?
Well, the reference of my experience exposed is backward looking necessarily and may not change me, per se, but may only change how I am defined. That I am labeled short or tall does nothing to say that I am 5'6". The company I keep, however, can teach me to slouch, and though my reality may still be 5'6", it will also appear to be 5'5" as well. The company I keep , using this analogy then, seems to create change, if only in appearance. The thrust of this change rests with the impact of decisions which are altered as a result of desires based upon that company, both in terms of objectives I have toward that social reality as well as in terms of objectives I have as a result of that social reality. It is, at its core, a two way pull.
So I am changed, molded and shaped by my environment; I act upon that same environment as well. This awakens in me,the possibility of circularity. Can I say then, that in some sense, I make myself?
It all comes down to control.
