Who Am I? I Am Thine!
¿Quién soy? ¡Soy tuyo!--por Deitrich Bonhoeffer
¿Quién soy? A menudo me dicen
que salí de mi celda de confinamiento
con calma, alegría, firmeza,
como un terrateniente de su casa de campo.
¿Quién soy? A menudo me dicen
que solía hablar a mis guardianes
con libertad, amabilidad y claridad,
como si fuera mío el mando.
¿Quién soy? También me dicen
que soporté los días de desgracia
con serenidad, sonrisa, orgullo,
como quien está acostumbrado a ganar.
¿Soy entonces realmente lo que otros hombres dicen de mí?
¿O soy solo lo que yo mismo sé de mí mismo? Inquieto, anhelante
y enfermo, como un pájaro enjaulado,
luchando por respirar, como si unas manos me apretaran la garganta,
anhelando colores, flores, el canto de los pájaros,
sediento de palabras amables, de buena vecindad,
agitándose en la expectativa de grandes acontecimientos,
temblando impotente por ami@os a una distancia infinita,
agotado y vacío de rezar, pensar, hacer,
desmayado y listo para despedirme de todo.
¿Quién soy? ¿Este o el otro?
¿Soy una persona hoy y mañana otra?
¿Soy ambas a la vez? ¿Un hipócrita ante los demás,
y ante mí mismo un debilucho despreciable y afligido?
¿O hay algo dentro de mí todavía como un ejército derrotado
huyendo en desorden de la victoria ya alcanzada?
¿Quién soy? Se burlan de mí, estas solitarias preguntas mías.
¡Quienquiera que sea, tú lo sabes, oh Dios, soy tuyo!
Preguntas semilla para la reflexión: ¿Cómo te identificas con la pregunta "¿Quién soy?" y qué te surge en respuesta a ella? ¿Podrías compartir una anécdota personal de alguna ocasión en la que profundizaste en esa pregunta y descubriste nuevas perspectivas? ¿Qué te ayuda a ir más allá de tu ego al profundizar en ella?
Learn more about Dietrich here.
SEED QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: How do you relate to the question 'who am I?' and what comes up for you in response to that question? Can you share a personal story of a time you inquired deeply into that question and unlocked new insights? What helps you go beyond your ego as you lean into that question?
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8 Past Reflections
On Oct 21, 2025 David Doane wrote :
I see 'who am I' as the most important question of my lifetime and of anyone's lifetime. What comes up for me in relation to that question is to sort out real I am from appearance I am. First, there is Ultimate I Am that is the Ground or Source of all that is. Second, there is real I am that is an extension of Ultimate I Am and is the essence of me. Third, there is appearance I am that is real I am in form as body, mind and ego. Real I am is eternal, not of this world while briefly in this world in form. Appearance I am is very temporal, briefly in this world and of this world. I began scratching the surface into 'who am I' decades ago, and got into it deeply a couple decades ago as I realized clearly there is I am that is more than body, mind and ego. Realizing this has unlocked more reflecting and insights. Awareness of this helps me go beyond ego and lean more and more into the question of 'who am I'.
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On Oct 21, 2025 Craig wrote :
His life is definitely worth reading about, too. I had never heard of him before. He was a hero who resisted the Nazis—a Christian who protected and sheltered Jews during the Third Reich—so he and his family were executed for their views and actions.
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On Oct 21, 2025 Patricia wrote :
It is when a moment of change is felt or acknowledged whether welcomed or not that I seek understanding who I am. Before I got out of bed I scanned my embodied self and attempted to pause thinking. Am I a blob I asked. I am breathing I pay attention. I am existing I am being. I become more aware this changing unraveling of ideas of who I am is nothing more than pausing to realize I've always been unraveling at same time being knitted or woven to next. Then I sit with regret of not being attentive to the truth of who I am in relationship to all existence and give thanks in connecting because I have a mind to reflect on connection and I stand up with intention to live this day with the zest of breath gift of who I am becoming along with you and you and you...I am one in caring and connecting and I do so by brushing my teeth looking in the mirror and smiling a good morning to me and me in you and you in me and crazy weird, right? LOVE ❤️
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On Oct 21, 2025 Rajat Mishra wrote :
1. It reflects the strength shown by Dietrich Bonhoeffer in the face of imminent death, and I can relate to it — recognizing moments when I’ve shown courage, as well as times when I’ve faltered under questioning.
2. I’ve arrived at the answer to this question many times before, but never with the calm awareness that Dietrich had. My usual response has been one of anger toward my own bondage, which only drains me before my death. If death is certain, why exhaust myself struggling against compulsions? In doing so, I lose my connection with God when confronted with difficult or awkward situations.
3. A calm and detached mind helps me transcend my ego.
2. I’ve arrived at the answer to this question many times before, but never with the calm awareness that Dietrich had. My usual response has been one of anger toward my own bondage, which only drains me before my death. If death is certain, why exhaust myself struggling against compulsions? In doing so, I lose my connection with God when confronted with difficult or awkward situations.
3. A calm and detached mind helps me transcend my ego.
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On Oct 20, 2025 inder dutt salwan wrote :
WHO ARE YOU
👇
I AM THAT
I realize my inner & outer being are two different identities-
I AM CONTENTMENT & Happiness 'WITHIN',
& just a human being 'without'.
I AM THAT. . .
A proud father,
Working to create a legacy with ethics & hard work for my son, my family & the community at large.
I love to work with passion & integrity in my heart. . .
I love running,
Running
& more running
Running in the rain,
in winters
& in the winter rains too,
especially when it's foggy,
just me & my two feet-
one stride at a time,
One foot in front of the other,
slowly but surely,
as if there’s a no tomorrow,
Running ahead of the past. . .
That moment is mine & Only mine.
I AM THAT...
I believe Compassion & Forgiveness are the highest virtues of life,
& that TIME will mould me into a complete human being,
& that there is nothing deeper than a Mother's love
Or higher than one's respect for father.
I AM THAT. . .
A trusted friend,
Love travelling,
Meeting peopl... [View Full Comment]
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On Oct 20, 2025 manmohan wrote :
My philosophical foundation is a belief in the essential oneness of the human spirit. This conviction naturally dissolves all superficial boundaries of color and gender, moving my attention from the anxiety of self-definition to the clarity of meaningful action.
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On Oct 20, 2025 Jaliah Mayali wrote :
When I ask myself ‘Who am I?’ I realize that my answer shifts with time and experience. Some days I feel confident, capable, and certain of my purpose. Other days, I feel uncertain and searching, like there’s more to discover beneath the surface of what others see.
What has helped me go beyond my ego when I ask that question is pausing sitting with silence and honesty. It’s when I stop trying to be what others expect that I start to hear a quieter, truer voice within. That voice reminds me that I am not only my roles or achievements, but also the awareness, love, and resilience that move through them.
What has helped me go beyond my ego when I ask that question is pausing sitting with silence and honesty. It’s when I stop trying to be what others expect that I start to hear a quieter, truer voice within. That voice reminds me that I am not only my roles or achievements, but also the awareness, love, and resilience that move through them.
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On Oct 16, 2025 Jagdish O Dave wrote :
Who is the real Me? I have a body but I am not my body. I have a mind but I am not my mind. I have a heart but I am not my heart, I have breath but I am not my breath. I have fame but I am not my fame. I have a name but I am not my name. The Real Me is formless, nameless, rightness and wrongness. Then who is Me? The real Me is beyond all these dualities. I am free not bound by any dualites. But we get caught up in the mine and thine mindset and that way we lose our real identity. We tend to forget there is oneness in manyness.
The last sentence of this writing offers my understanding of this question "Who am I? They mock me, these lonely questions of mine. Whoever I am, Thou knowest, O God, I am Thine!
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave
The last sentence of this writing offers my understanding of this question "Who am I? They mock me, these lonely questions of mine. Whoever I am, Thou knowest, O God, I am Thine!
Namaste!
Jagdish P Dave