(no subject)
The question of self. If I can simultaneously talk to myself and listen to myself then there must be two selves, at least. I do not answer the question "Who is Melissa," with 'I' but with 'me.' And if I am me, who is I? And who is contemplating I and me- myself? Me, myself and I. And thus 'we' must be different from 'us' and 'them'. But is it possible to be aware and then integrate these selves. Could we then eventually be in control of our-selves? In class, we talked about our transcendental moments and most of them involved nature. Maybe being in nature invokes the fundamental awareness that we are a part of the universe, the same as the trees that shade us and the ants that march beneath our feet. When do we feel more in control than when we are at one with our surroundings? Perhaps, these selves only develop when a culture reinforces it. I think as an extremely dualistic society most of us forget this third side of the reflective self and either tend to be more objective, understanding me in regards to you, or more subjective, I among many. But Buddhism and Taoism are quite different, they meditate on the object and subject, emphasizing the reflective self by integrating I and me. Self actualization could then be possibly reached if one's "words and action are in harmony." Mead's theory then is premature to hypothesize that these 3 selves are fundamental in being human. We cannot be disintegrated if we were never integrated in the first place. This may be an impossible goal but a goal still creates a productive direction.