Are you who you think you are?

Think about it. Are you sure that you truly understand who you are deep down? Is your perspective accurate? And if so, where did it come from? I am convinced that most people do not know who they are, because most people take what others say about them, and assimilate to their ideal. We become their puppets. We are but puppets to society, succumbing to the norms that have been set in place. Not that this is a bad thing. We must obey societies rules in order for peace, organization, and justice to ensue. Cut all of that out, who are we really? Are you really kind? Am I really polite? Do we even care? What is mankind's true nature?

I recently just had my birthday. Birthdays in my family have a special tradition. Everyone says one thing they like about the birthdayee. As my brothers and sisters told me what they admired about me, I began to think to myself, "Really? Is that me?" This got me thinking, how well do I really know myself. I have been socially constructed, through life's experiences, to become the individual I am today. I know that if tomorrow I woke up with no memory, I would be a completely different individual. But what would create this new person? Mostly outer sources. Sure we can choose what we want, but we are highly influenced by the external. We have been trained to act in a certain way in ever special circumstances we are thrust into.That is why parenting is so crucial.

I think we see what people are really like when they are put in a situation in which they have never thought about, prepared for, or have been trained to handle. Like a natural disaster, awkward moments, or intense quick situations. In those moments true human nature appears.
Let me give you an example. I was playing in a softball game the other night. It was coming down to the wire. It was obvious that we needed to make some big plays in order to win the game in the extra innings. We had two outs and needed a third to get out of the inning. I was playing catcher. They were nearing the end of their batting order. They had runners on second and first. The batter stepped up and hit a blooper to left field. The runner on second was waved on to home plate. Our out fielder made a tremendously accurate throw to home plate where I was at. I caught the ball and tagged the runner clearly before home plate. The ump called him safe. I reacted in the most embarrassing way. I thought the game was over. Time had expired, and I figured all hope was lost. I threw the ball down in disgust and cursed the ump over and over. A second runner saw my error and advanced to home as well. I went nuts. I couldn't believe what had taken place. Little did I know that we had a chance to match. We ended up winning, but it didn't even taste good. I felt like an idiot. But in those short moments, I saw who I was underneath the euro hawk and v-neck shirt.

So who are you? What really defines a person?