“Knowing yourself is the beginning of the wisdom”
-Aristotle
We live in a society that tries to tells us who we are instead of asking. It cares more about who it thinks we ought to be than who we are. However, the beauty of our identity is that though society, people, and obstacles fight to tell us who we are, it is entirely up to us. It is not merely a vegetarian/vegan debate, but an awareness of the entirety of who you are that is so innate that it is unyielding, even by the most formidable of adversaries.
Michael Jordan, one of the greatest basketball players of all time, had a moment like this. Long before he was “Air Jordan”, he was a sophomore at his high school trying out for the Varsity team at 5 feet 11 inches. He was deemed too short. Instead of allowing other people to have the final say about him, he joined the Junior Varsity team, grew four inches, and had several 40 point games, thus debunking the limits placed on him by coaches of the Varsity team. Of course, he eventually made the Varsity team. Big surprise. Point being, he doesn’t become Jordan if he didn’t have something to prove.
I use this example to illuminate an individual who knew what his capabilities were and was not deterred by the parameters placed on his abilities. He was someone that didn’t accept rejection, but was that much more determined to prove to others what he already knew – that he belonged on that team.
Our identities are much larger than one skill or characteristic, but the finer point here is that whatever people think of you, especially if it isn’t much, is not nearly as important as what you know about yourself. To be certain about your identity, about the many layers that contribute to who you are, is truly liberating. Being certain about who you are and what you’re about is no small feat, especially in a society that perpetuates mob rule and groupthink. Moreover, it’s one thing to know yourself, to understand exactly who you are, but the power of that knowledge comes when you are able to remain that person in the face of conflict, speculation and adversity.
An identity is not a switch – it doesn’t turn on and off, so being able to stand firm in your truth at all times will sustain you when people limit you, when the losses are greater than the wins is our greatest asset. Life is a guaranteed challenge and yet, what we cannot anticipate is its surprises. What cannot and should not be a surprise is who we are and how we present that package. We are not bodies of water, in that we were not meant to waver. It works for the water, but in order to withstand any confrontation, internal or otherwise, we must be at ease with ourselves and stand firm. If you can’t count on yourself, then who can you count on?
