Consider what makes you unique?
Simply Human
What defines a human being? Is there anything measurable that can be used to quantify and uniquely identify an individual Homo Sapien as demonstrably unique from any other? We each know, almost innately, that we are different from other people. However, is there some scientific process that can be applied to encapsulate one individual distinct from any other? A study of genetics reveals that which composes the human animal as being a separate entity from another, as DNA and the human genome allow for the creature to develop along a unique path. But is that all there is to a person?
As a database administrator for what has been called “Americas favorite charity” I am amazed at the number of lists my name appears in! For my 2006 tax return I received a donation statement from my employer, but it was addressed to me at a place I had moved away from over a year ago – and notified all appropriate departments regarding the move. Having had a hand in the development of several of these databases which are used throughout the organization (and also in managing the commercial databases we utilize for finance, fund raising, payroll, human resources, network security, voice mail, email, and so many more) I know that each of these systems is entirely independent of any other, and upon a change in employment status every separate system must be updated. Given the sheer number of these lists, I also know that this information is not updated completely everywhere. With all the varied lists of records that exist for me alone, it might be possible to construct a profile of the person I am, the personality I possess, and my values. However, those lists will not reveal the entirety of me. From these lists it is possible to learn that I have light hair and grey eyes, that I tithe, give to the United Way, and avail the opportunity to invest in the retirement fund, but one would not learn why. To do that one would have to speak with me directly, and believe that what I say is true. It would be necessary to learn from me how I define my self.
The human self is simultaneously as static as DNA, and as fluid as fashion. The layers of personality that every person embodies can be isolated and identified; yet in as much as each layer is simply a component of the whole, it is insufficient to identify a person simply by any singular aspect of the persona.
Consider the case of Lawrence and Julia Roach. After eighteen years of marriage, the couple divorced. Since the divorce, Julia has changed her name to Julio Roberto Silverwolf, and undergone gender conversion surgery. Julio, in choosing to become a man, raises into question the validity of the chromosome as to the identity of the self. Was Julia a man born with feminine genes? Is it possible that the person of Julia\Julio exceeds the restrictions of genetics? According to the Florida judiciary, the woman she was remains the man he is. As such Lawrence's appeal for the termination of alimony due to the illegality of same sex marriages in Florida was declined.
Consider also feral children. The concept of a child being abandoned from human tutelage is disturbing, but the sociological effects upon the person are horrifying. Famous for the psychological attempt to restore his “humanity”, the case of Victor of Aveyron illuminates the limitations of the human mind to fully develop to the appropriate capacity for full social interaction following an early life of isolation. Young Victor, found living as a wild child in the forests of Aveyron, France was studied and taught how to live in the human world, but proved incapable of making a complete adjustment. With his development as a child being that of an animal, Victor existed as an enigmatic entity. His potential as a human being was truncated by the absence of early human interaction. His language skills were never able to develop to allow him to function in the society of his time. However, Victor demonstrated certain capacities which exceeded that of his contemporaries. Victor had an exceptionally discerning ear: unmoved by the sound of a pistol fired near him, Victor could hear the rustling of leaves or the cracking of a nut a distance away. Victor was a human animal, yet with his mind left to isolation and untrained development, he was never able to attain the potential he may have been born with.
These elements all indicate that the person described is simply that, a description of a person. We do not have documented insight into the inner thoughts of Victor, nor of Julia/Julio. We simply have for our observation the stories reported about them. What is presented by the individual is information that must be considered with a measure of critical skepticism as the story explained is shared through the filter of self perception and projection. Perhaps the teller wishes to hold back some information that may be embarrassing or embellishes that which is more glorifying. To know the identity of a person it is vital to consider what is said, what is done, what is written, and what is not. Who then can truly know a person? I contend that no one can know another completely. I share myself with my wife, almost entirely. Yet some things about myself I still fear to share. Why is that? I can not say.
Or perhaps I simply will not.
Works Referenced
Coleman, James C., Scott, Foresman and Co. “The 'wild boy of Aveyron'” Abnormal Psychology and Modern Life 1976: 511.
Yodashkin, Jackie. “Florida Court Upholds Alimony Obligation for Transgender Ex-Spouse: Lambda Legal Says ‘Good News, Bad News’” Lambda Legal. 2007. Lambda Legal. 29 March 2007.
