who are we

what makes us who we are? is it our actions alone that define us? it is certainly our actions that allow those around us to perceive who we are, but this perception must certainly be through the lens of their understanding. this lens will color the reality of us. another part: labels, often, they feel ill-fitting and constraining-- at the worst, they are falsehoods that drive us to behavior, thoughts, and feelings other than who we are. how much of who we are is defined by our ability to conform? there is a minimal requirement placed on each of us to appease our obligation to the social contract. but, how many of us actually slack off and meet the minimum, or instead, let it insinuate itself inside our core being until we're not sure where we left off and it begins. each of us has our own unique value system and internal logic. to clarify, this is not a meandering thought on our purpose in life; i'm clear on that. more, this is a question of who exactly each of us is and how that correlates to our role/purpose in society. c'est la vie.

saw my best friend of 15 years today and we caught up over lunch. she is doing well out of law school and has been clerking in the district court here in DC. we shared our knowledge of all of the people we knew from back then and where they were now and how they've changed. going out to georgetown tonight with my brother to spend some time with him. i got to spend a few solid hours with my father yesterday talking about a lot of the issues contributing to my current malaise which had a very pleasant after-effect; somewhat short-term i suppose, but smile when you can.