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| There is a simple process
that you can do with a friend, that brings home many of our misconceptions about identity.
Decide that one of you will be A and the other B. Gently bow to one another at the
beginning and end of this process. A begins and asks B “Who are you?’ and listens to B’s reply. Then A repeats the question and once again listens to B’s reply. B must answer differently each time. This question and answer continues for about ten minutes, then the partners switch and B asks A “Who are you?”, listens to the reply and then continues asking the same question for a further ten minutes. The questioner is free to vary it somewhat and can
ask “Yes, but who are you really?” or “What are you?” The respondent
can also refer to what she does, or what he thinks happens because of their existence. The
answers run through the identifications we have with family, background and relations (the
body); with ethnicity, language, color (body again); with our status, profession, sports,
hobbies and interests; with our dreams and fantasies. |
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