My god tells me know thyself.

I don't allow people to define me. That's something I learned early in life. By the time I was a teen-ager. My teachers and my parents weren't supposed to define me. I define myself. I'm not a robot. I have my own mind. I know what I want to be. At any given moment. Maybe I want to change. And become something else. Yes, I evolve. I believe in evolution. Nothing is static. Change is possible. But I'm the one that determines my essence. I don't leave that to others. That's the nice thing about the human condition. We aren't born with a prescribed essence. We can make ourselves into any number of essences. I can shape by soul. My being. I've determined that at the moment I want to be a romantic idealist, a free-thinker, a liberal and a lover. I think that's a wonderful combination. Makes me comfortable. Within my own skin. If I begin to feel uncomfortable in any of these roles, I'll change. I'm really defining myself all the time. Early in life, my teachers and my parents tried to define me. Initially, I let them do it. Because I didn't quite yet have a sense of self. I wasn't fully alive. I tell my girlfriend that I'm really 10 or 11 years younger than my chronological age of 74. I wasn't born until a decade or so after I climbed out of my mother's womb. So call me 64. Of course, some Catholics believe that life begins at the moment of conception. That would add another 9 months to my chronological age. But I'm not Catholic. So I don't have to accept such craziness. Anyway, I remember that in elementary school my teachers tried to stuff all kinds of stuff into my head. Much of it was crap. Stuff that I later discarded. My parents did much the same. They hauled me off to Sunday School and tried to make me a Christian. Even foisted confirmation classes on me. But eventually, I saw the real light. And became a free-thinker. Yes, I think for myself. I define myself. Others often try to define me. Even from a distance. They're just plain stupid people. Meanwhile, I have smarts. Insights. My god tells me know thyself. And I sure do. --Jim Broede