What makes you – you ? I Essay by Taashvee, 13, Thane
What defines personal identity- memories, actions, or perception? Taashvee Shetty, 13, from Thane, reflects on John Locke’s memory theory and how choices and core memories make us who we are.
What makes you – you ?
“The self is not something ready-made, but something in continuous formation through choice of action.”
— John Dewey
Personality is sum of our actions
If someone looked , acted and had the same memories as me would they be me ? No, they would not. Why , you may ask, the answer is simple: your personality is a curated sum of the actions you take in your life.
Memories make character
Memories also make a big part of our character , if a person had all his/hers memories they would not be the same. For example , if a person lost his/hers memories of being an artist they would never paint again until reminded that they used to paint.
However Philosopher John Locke argued that identity is based on memory. He argued that “One’s personal identity extends only so far as their own consciousness.” The connection between consciousness and memory in Locke’s theory has earned it the title of the “memory theory of personal identity.”
We could see in the movie ‘Inside out 2’ that even one of her core memories removed resulted in a big change in her personality overall. This is because our core memories shape a person’s character.
Actions make us
However , the actions we take throughout our life also shape our characters and make us – us . For example , even twins with the same DNA grow up to be different people. The only similar things are their appearance and DNA however their personality may differ.
Though some people argue that we are also defined by how others see us . But this is quite invalid as to one person you may seem kind , hardworking and caring and to the other dishonest , untrustworthy and mean , quite similar to the sentence ‘ In one person’s story you will always be the villain’.
Be yourself
In the end what makes me what I am isn’t something visible in the mirror but instead the way I live , perceive things and my thoughts and that is something no one can copy.
– Taashvee Shetty
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