Who are you?

Most people who answer this question will respond with what they perceive to be “their” name, but is that an appropriate answer to this question? Are you that name or are you something else? Are you a body or do you have a body? Why, when we are asked “Who are you” do we usually reply with a name? Another human may claim to be that name, or may have “the same name as you”, so which one of you is that name? Are any of us really “our name”? What can a name be used for?

Typically, a name is an appellation. A word or words used to identify a specific person or to get their attention. Sometimes, we might use “Hey you!” but that is vague and could refer to anyone. If I want to get the attention of someone specific, I would use “their” name.

Now, what if I want to change “my name”? Don’t I need to go to court to do that? If it is “my” name, shouldn’t I own it and be able to do whatever I want with it? Shouldn’t I have complete control? If something is “mine”, why do I need permission to change it? Why do I need to update “my” birth certificate, “my” social security card, “my” driver’s license?

When most of us are born, we receive “our” birth certificate and usually “our” social security card soon after. How do we know those are “ours”? If someone found it, would they be able to look at “your” name or any other information on the certificate and be able to attach it to a specific person by looking at the information? Sure, you could claim that it’s yours, but how would we know that? When applying for a driver’s license or a passport, you could claim to “be” that name, but how would the person on the other side of the counter know that for sure? Oddly enough, when applying for a Social Security Number, you cannot use a birth certificate as proof of identity (it’s been branded by the owner if you look closely enough). How else do you prove who you are? What the hell is a “name”?

Clearly, you aren’t “your name”. If you are not the name you have claimed to be for your entire life, then what is that name? Could you live without it? If you’d been born on the side of the road and never had a birth certificate or any kind of information attached to you, how would you operate within your specified jurisdiction? In the United States, 99% of employers will decline you for a job without any sort of information such as a name, date of birth, or social security number.

So then, are you your name or do you use that name, much like someone might use a lawnmower? I may use a car, but that does not mean that I am the car.

If someone was looking for you and they asked, “Are you <insert name>?” would it be lying to say that you aren’t? I don’t even know who I am, let alone who might “be” that name. I might use that name, but it isn’t me.

So I’ll ask again: Who are you?