Who Am I Really?

I always find the best way to sort out my thoughts is to write. Technology has been such a great tool in enabling us to do this in a way that can be easily archived and therefore saved forever. I always find that looking back on past writings gives me a vision of the person I was at that time. I also can see that who I was and who I thought I was were not the same person. Of course, then I reflect upon my present state - when will the real me and the person I think I am merge? Maybe when the two beings are resolved, our lives on earth are completed, and we are ready to move on....

What if the purpose for life is to find our true selves? Wouldn't that be a hoot? That would also mean there was a whole earth full of people doing the same thing, and none of us would have a very realistic view of ourselves. We all have this imaginary person we think we are, but everyone else is seeing someone else. I wonder if we all understood that, would we be more empathetic and kind to each other? Wouldn't so-called offenses against us roll off our back easier?

An acquaintance once said, "You know, everyone really is doing the best they can, even if it seems to everyone else they should be doing better." I've thought of that many many times, and I think she was right.

President Hinckley once said, "Just do the best you can, but be sure it is your very best" ("A Challenging Time--A Wonderful Time" LDS CES broadcast, 2 March 2003).

Dean R. Burgess said, "Finding out who we are is one of life’s greatest quests... 'Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God” (1 John 3:1–2)... I testify that knowing who you are and keeping your promises and covenants with the Lord will bring you happiness in your life...May we all be able to know and understand who we really are" ("Do You Know Who You Are?" LDS April 2008 General conference).

So maybe our whole purpose here isn't just to resolve this imagined being with our real self, but I like how President Burgess said it IS one of life's greatest quests. I'm not really sure most of realize the incongruity. Is that part of the journey - to come to that realization? I know it always comes as a little surprise to me - I say little surprise because now that I know it to be a fact, I look for it. Still surprised though!

That reminds me of something George Carlin said: "I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman, 'Where's the self-help section?' She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose." We really do have to find out for ourselves!