What Defines You?

In our gadget-obsessed age of disposable consumption and materialism, I notice more and more people identifying their own self-worth through things.  Perhaps defining ourselves through external objects and attributes rather than our own inner values and character is evolution?

Lately, I have noticed an increased level of conversation about material things and how those things seem to define a person’s self image.  I have noticed myself yearning for material goods as a means of propping up my own self image—yes, I’m talking about you iPhone.

This has all lead me to consider what really matters. What external things really define me as a person?

My Family

In my family I see the best and the worst of myself.  I see unlimited joy, potential and pride; the realization of my childhood dreams.  There is also an underlying caution about the future and the unknown.  My children and my wife are the most accurate mirror into who I am.

Music

I used to say that you can tell a lot about a person by looking at their CD collection.  Well, we don’t have CD collections anymore, but you can still judge a person based on their musical taste—even if it’s on a hard drive.  I love music; all kinds of music.  I tend to have music playing at all times—at home, work, in the car.  The variety of music that I enjoy spans my many moods and truly defines me as a person.

Movies

That thing I wrote about someone’s CD collection… the same thing could be said about their DVD collection (or their Netflix queue).  Tell me your favorite five movies of all time and I can pretty much tell if we’re going to get along.  Yes, my taste in movies defines who I am.  Ironically, if you asked me about my favorite films, it would be hard for me to quantify.  My favorites tend to change, but a few that are always in contention include: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Fargo, Raising Arizona, Seven, Fight Club, The Shining, The Usual Suspects… to name a few.

As I’ve gone through this exercise, I found it interesting that the types of things that I think many people would use to define themselves (religion, race, nationality, political affiliation, favorite sports team, etc.) really have very little bearing on how I see myself.  Now that you’ve read my little list, what defines you?

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