Who do you want to be...

...when you grow up? It was question we all got asked when we were young, wasn't it? But it's a very flawed question, which really only has a place in pre-school. It assumes that there's a totality to life, that you will become this 'one-self', as if what you do as your job at a certain point will define your whole identity; as if our jobs are our identity. When we're asked, "So, what are you then?" We all respond with what we do as a livelihood - "I'm a Teacher" "A secretary" "An Architect" and so forth. But there's so many other things that you could answer with; "An existentialist" "A creationist" "A bohemian" could all be vey valid and true responses to the question, which personally I think would prompt a lot more interesting conversation than discussing our day jobs that we are all to often bored of anyhow.

I was prompted to this thought when I recently watched a movie called "The Man From Earth" on my friend Chris's big projector, which is where I captured this photo in the reflection of the window. The film is a very intriguing if not bemusing tale of a man who reveals to all his friends in a cabin that he has miraculously been alive since the dawn of man. As much as they try to disprove his theory, he manages to convince otherwise - It's a good watch should you get the chance. But, anyhow, being alive for so long he didn't have that 'one-self'. He had been a vast range of different people in a vast expanse of time. Although our lives are comparatively short, why do we provide ourselves that limitation of only being 'one-self'.

I recently watched a really good talk by Tim Minchin, which if you haven't seen you really should see. Amongst other things, he covers what I am trying to say here. That aiming to become this 'one-self' really just limits you to all these other 'selfs' you could be. Tim describes this as if you aim to become this 'one-self' - as I call it - you will be so focussed on accomplishing becoming that person that you will miss and bypass so many other opportunities within your peripheral vision. So, rather than becoming hellbent on becoming this future self, take a step back, look at who you are currently and question what opportunities you might be bypassing now, in this moment of time.