" How am I not myself" A study of personal identity.

"How Am I Not Myself"

                Benjamin Franklin said once, "The only things certain in life are death and taxes." In a way, this is very true. Life is a journey, discovering the unknown. It is hard to be sure about anything in life because the answer is not clear. Marcus Aurelius, roman emperor, had many writings discussing life and the purpose of the human soul. In his book Meditation, Aurelius discussed the purpose of the soul and identity. The ideas he brings forth over eighteen hundred years ago are still questioned today. During the 60s, Bob Dylan discussed the same issue. Dylan, a musician, uses his songs do bring out ideas he wants to discuss. His song, "Like a Rolling Stone" is an example of the questions he asked. The movie "I Heart Huckabees" is discusses the issue of life and existence. The movie follows a modern character in his quest to find the reason for his life. Marcus Aurelius, Bob Dylan, and "I Heart Huckabees" explore the same message of existence and the purpose of life.

                One idea presented is that all humans are the same. We are all connected to one another in some way.  This idea of being connected is present in all three of the sources, even though they are written years apart. In "I Heart Huckabees," a blanket is used to represent the world. In the blanket, we are all sharing the same space on earth together, connected. The investigator goes on to explain one person's life always has a bond to others. Bob Dylan also presented this idea in his song, "Like a Rolling Stone". The message of the song relates to all youth no matter what time period. It tells a story of the struggles youth face in their lives no matter what background. Facing similar struggles with others in your age group connects you to them. People are connected by a common bond of growing up in the song, similar to by the blanket in the movie. Marcus Aurelius brings forth connectives the quote from Meditations. Pondering that state of his soul he includes, "A child's, a boy's, a woman's, a despot's, a dumb animal's, a dangerous beast's." The fact that he mentions all of these things when thinking about his soul relates to how all of these things are connected to the life he lived. Aurelius did not just write about the state of his soul but how his life affected others. Like the movie and the song, everything is connected; Marcus Aurelius is just another person in the blanket of life. Even written years apart, all three sources cling to the idea that something unites people, all people have something in common. I can agree that the world is connected; actions of one part of the world have a chain reaction on another part. One example that I would like to point out is the "War on Terror." The whole war was caused by a single act by a group of men; their action caused a reaction from the whole world. Another example is the murder of Archduke Ferdinand prior to World War One. The death of one man became the spark of a global conflict. I believe that all human history is connected; each individual is just another piece of the puzzle.

                Another main idea is that of being remembered after death. All three sources bring up in some way being remembered and known. Dylan mentioned being unknown in the chorus of his song, "How does it feel ... Like a complete unknown."He brought up the idea that youth are unknown, have not made a name for themselves and will be unknown. Aurelius also touched on the subject of being known and remembered. Stating, "and whose soul have I at present?" He asked this about himself. Aurelius felt that knowing the answer will give him a picture of how he will be remembered. Aurelius worried about being remembered. He knew that being Emperor, his name will live on, but did not know the manor which it will live. In "I Heart Huckabee's", the character Albert is also dealing with making a mark on the world to be remembered. In the movie, he places pictures of himself in a store along with pictures of famous people. He does this because he believes that they will be remembered, and if his picture is in with theirs, maybe he too will not be forgotten. All three of these put an emphasis on being known, and remembered. I believe that the individual is unsecure about their life. They wonder if they have had any meaning of their existence. People feel like they need to do something in order to be remembered. They feel like just living does not make a good enough impact on the future.

                Personal identity is also a topic that is paramount amongst the examples. In each, there is someone who is unidentified with whom they are. Aurelius tried to understand what the state of his soul is. He honestly did not know how his life has effected and changed who he was. This is evident when he stated, "To what purpose...am I now using my soul?" Not only does he wonder how he is using his soul but to what extent is that affected who he is. In "I Heart Huckabee's" the whole reason for the movie is for Albert to find himself. This is most evident when he states, "How am I not myself." What Albert is doing with this quote is ask himself if the person he is now is the same person he use to be. Finally, Bob Dylan has had a mixed identity his whole career. The person he is representing seems to be changing every ten years, from folk, to rock, country, and evangelicalism. I believe that a person always changes and grows. You can never know who you are at any time because it is an always changing thing. These sources exemplify the fact that when people age, they end up changing and will always be changing.

                I do not think that we will have the answer to some questions ever. That is life. Even though they are all published at different times, "I Heart Huckabee's", "Like a Rolling Stone" and the quote from Meditations all touch on the same issue. The idea of having a world that is all interconnected, wanting to be remembered after death, and personal identity are all present in each source. Having these issues still present over a large period of time tells me that they are universal to man. There is no simple answer to things, everything is permitted. I wonder if in the future, there still will be a problem with understanding one's connection with others, being remembered and changing personality. My guess is that these will always be questions because they are unanswerable.