Terry Lasut

Introduction to Philosophy SPL100 01

Dr. Daniel Martino

Saturday, December 1, 2018

Who are we?

There is one simple question that we should often ask ourselves; who are we? When you

look at a community of people, you will see that there are all different kinds of people. There are

different races, ethnicities, religions, those who are construction workers, and those who were

fighter piolets in WWII. When we ask the question “Who am I?”, as opposed to “What am I?”,

there is room for a much deeper and more philosophical answer. When asked who we are, most

would say their name and what their occupation is. When I think of who I am, or rather who I

want to become, I would say that I want to become a hero and an inspiration to others.

As humans, we do not have one single purpose in our lives. When you look at something

simple like a desk, that has one purpose. We can do whatever we want and become whoever we

want. I do believe that each and every one of us was put on this earth for a reason. I am going to

use the example of musicians. It takes a special kind of person to be a musician, just as it takes a

special kind of person to be a teacher, construction worker, or a fighter piolet in a war. We have

a choice to follow and make a career out of what we love and are passionate about. I love music,

so I want to become a professional musician. It took time for me to make that decision, but God

knew that when I was born that that is the path I would take. I had a choice to make. Every
individual is responsible for their actions, we make our own choices. Unfortunately, in today’s

world many of us do not make the right decisions.

I believe that we cannot change who we are, we cannot change our personality. We are

who we are because of the way we were raised and our religious beliefs, but our lives are still

impacted in ways that create a change in us. Factors such as intellect and spirit will always be

changing in us. Our sense of priority, goals, values, and ideals will never be consistent. As a

twenty-year-old student in college, I have my long-term goals set and a future planned out for

myself. Right now, I have my priorities in order according to what is happening in my life. As I

age and different opportunities start to appear in my life, my priorities will change. I feel that my

values and ideals will change the least out of those. When I think of ideals, the word ‘ethics’

come to mind. Ethics, I believe is something taught at a very young age. When I was young and

being raised by my parents, they instilled in me a certain code of conduct, or a set of values and

ideals that I would carry with me throughout my life. When I see on the news that there was

another school shooting, I immediately think of what that person’s childhood must have been

like. I believe that the way you carry yourself as an adult is a direct result of your parents and

how you were raised. Your parents are ultimately the ones who determine the kind of future you

have, whether that be following your passion and doing what you love and leading a healthy and

ethical life, or spending the life you were given looking through bars in a prison.

Besides the internal effect that influences our lives, there is also an external effect. In

today’s world, we have access to so much technology, more than those in the same generation as

my father and even my grandparents ever thought that they would see. I have always been

cautious about how much I depend on and use technology, it can be very detrimental. Every time

I go out in public, I see people with their eyes glued to their cell phones completely missing what
is going on in the world right in front of them. I am not saying that all technology is bad, but we

as humans mistreat it.

Some good uses of technology would be in the medical field. Everyday peoples’ lives are

being saved due to advances in technology. Another example would be cameras and recorders in

our cell phones. I have two little nieces at home, three and two-years-old, and I cannot count the

number of pictures and videos I have of them. These are memories that will be with me for as

long as I live, and I can go back and relive those times.

Human beings have free will. We can think what we want and have the choice to do

whatever we want to do in life. We are agents, that is, acting and getting things done. According

to Thomas Aquinas, a human being is the kind of being who is “the principle of his actions, [and

has] free-will and control of his actions.” (Summa Theologica, I-II, prologue). Anquinas also

distinguished between the “acts of humans” and “human acts”. Acts of a human include

behaviors that we share with animals, i.e. sleeping, walking, eating, etc. Human acts refer to the

choices we make and what we do in reference to those choices. As I have said before, there is so

much bad in this world, I am beginning to think more so than good. So many times, we hear

about murders happening across the country, and those who choose to kill hundreds, if not

thousands of people, it is exactly that, their own choice. And again, that all goes back to ethics

and how they were raised. I was raised to believe in God and that God is the only one who can

take away a life. It is not our jobs as humans to determine who lives and who dies. Those who do

choose to take the first route in life and harm innocent people, they have to face the

circumstances, which is one of the three elements that consist in a human act.

All of what we do as humans, we should take responsibility for. We should have an

answer for what we do and we should be held accountable for what we do. There are certain
levels of responsibility that we should hold ourselves to. We are, and always should be

responsible to ourselves. Take responsibility in our actions, accept the consequences, good or

bad. We are responsible to others, right now in the present, and in past and future generations.

We are responsible for the earth, our home, this is where we live. And in today’s age, the world

seems to be slowly crumbling all around us and filling with evil. And most importantly, we have

a responsibility with God. God is the reason I am here on this earth and why I am where I am

today. He created it all, and we should all strive to follow in his ways and be a Godlier people,

making this world a much better place.

After studying what makes us who we are, it really opened up a lot of doors for me in my

understanding of why I am who I am. Thinking about my values, goals, ideals, and how I

prioritize my life really helped me to get to know me on a deeper and more philosophical level.

God will always be number one in my priorities. He is my reason for being where I am today.

Family will always be number two in my priorities. Like I mentioned before, I have two little

nieces at home and they are the world to me. Those two, along with the rest of my family will

always come before myself, and that will never change. I have my code of ethics that was

instilled in me by my parents. There are certain aspects that I wish I did not get from my parents,

but overall, they are the reason that I am who I am.