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Uri Vaknin
4/14/16
English 101
Who Am I?
People wander this world, projecting themselves with their sense of identity. Its
comprised of all their experience, all their history and all the ways that they perceived it all. Our
identities continuously build the further we move through life. Its easy to label someone based
on their appearance or the way they present themselves, but theres a story behind it all. When I
analyze myself, I can give general statements of my personality, but I find it difficult to define
my true self. In order to closely sum up the identity of someone, it would be how they feel about
where they come from, what they do, and what they believe in.
I was born in Israel, but I was raised here, in Los Angeles, and so Ive adapted more to
the culture here. I remember being familiar with the Hebrew and Russian language at a young
age, but I soon transitioned to English for the most part. Since most of my family was from
Israel, Ive familiarized myself with Jewish customs and traditions. Ive visited a couple times
throughout my life, and I admired how the people there are a lot more genuine and forthcoming
there than they are in California. Theres a deeper sense of connection among family and friends
it seems, which I assume is generally due to the smaller size of the country and the prejudice
theyve endured throughout the generations. I have a deep respect for the region and its people,
but for the most part Im more so accustomed to the culture here. I spent more time growing up
alongside people who were relatively my age, and for the most part, they were raised here.

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What Ive noticed from being raised mostly in Southern California, is that people are
generally more reserved here. Its much harder to spot the genuine person when communicating
with one another. I feel as if I and everybody else try to act like machines when were out in
public, and that we generally avoid contact with others. For example, when I take the bus, there
could be an empty seat between two people, but nobody wants to fill in the gap. I sense that this
is because weve grown more comfortable with being secluded. This also happens when
someones arguing over the phone, or singing to themselves on the bus. Its pretty clear that
people are annoyed, yet calling out a stranger would mean giving up seclusion and comfort so
we all just roll with it. I feel that its these little things are very important, because they define us
as a community overall on a day-to-day basis.
When I was in Israel, I got a higher sense of connection among the people. They would
wave to one another, they would engage in conversation without hesitation, and everyone seems
to know each other. However, since Ive adapted to the culture here, I find the way of life to be a
little exhausting. There was a significantly smaller amount of breathing room than what Im
normally used to. There always seemed to be a family gathering or a party or someone to see,
and so I often found myself looking for the comfort of seclusion.
So when people interact with one another, we tend to ask what What do you do? in
order to get a sense of their day to day. Unfortunately though, what we do often doesnt reflect
who we really are. I hang out with friends, work as a server in a caf and take a few college
classes, but do these things make me who I am? I feel that the answer is yes to others, but no
to me. They are the things I currently do, but I believe my identity is defined not by what I do,
but by why and how I do these things. Im taking classes at Valley College with political science
as my major, solely because I find the concept interesting and important, but I dont know

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exactly which field Id want to pursue with it. I currently work as a server at a caf, which I dont
necessarily like, but I feel that I have to keep myself occupied and to make money for the time
being. On my free time, Id prefer to hang out with my friends simply because I enjoy their
company. These are the things I do but I find that its the way I react to these things that make me
who I am.
Unfortunately, I dont think it matters to the world how you feel about things. Its what
you do that allows them to label or define your identity. So whatever idea I have about myself
can differ depending on whoever else knows me. Theres always more than one opinion, so
labeling and defining may vary depending on the person. I believe that an identity is never
concrete, but it is up to the person to continually shape it the way they believe works best for
themselves.
A lot of the things people do tend to stem from their beliefs, or their overall perspective
of their existence. This is what gives them meaning and influences all the directions they take in
their own lives. Being raised in a household where the customs and traditions of Judaism were
moderately practiced, I used to believe in all of it when I was younger. As I grew older, I spent a
lot of time trying to make sense of life and religion. I wasnt comfortable with believing
something that has so many different interpretations from so many different cultures. While I do
involve myself with the big Jewish holidays, the concept of deities or God(s) seems like a stretch
to me. So when it comes down to it, I am agnostic. Tracing back through time, we really dont
know what created existence. Some things in this universe are simply beyond our
comprehension, so it could literally be anything.

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I try to just see this existence as it is, instead of having my actions be influenced by the
possibility of an afterlife. I do not see mankinds existence as one that reflects a supreme being; I
see us as just another species with our own adaptations and ways of surviving. To me, the
concept of religion was conceived by us to maintain order by promoting good and
antagonizing evil. I believe it works best in a metaphorical sense only to creatively instill good
values amongst people. I find that once religion is taken in a literal sense, it can become evil.
There are many interpretations of religion and once they clash, the outcomes are atrocious, which
is counterproductive to those ideas to begin with. I also think that taking it in a literal sense
negates what it means to be genuinely good, because when you do good things in this lifetime,
you do it to be granted permission to your idea of heaven. It detracts from really understanding
what it means to take action when a situation is bad, because its the right thing to do, regardless
of whats in it for your soul.
While I dont necessarily put my complete faith or reject the existence of a God, doesnt
mean I see life as meaningless. I feel that existence could have easily been that way, but its not.
This could have been a reality without joy or misery, but the fact that that spectrum exists does
mean something. Its in our biology to be able to feel good, but why did that even have to exist?
We could have basically been soulless machines and we wouldnt have known the difference.
The ability for an organism to be alive and enjoy it matters. The very idea of positivity exists to
be felt, to be shared and to be fought for.
I see living as a way to form temporary connections with other living things and to
cherish the ones you share a bond with. Love, joy and happiness are our ultimate feelings of
positivity, but since all of us strive to feel these things in a world that is limited, we must test our

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perseverance by working hard and enduring pain in order for us to experience this positive
energy for ourselves and for those we love.
Overall, Im still trying to figure out what my place is in this world really is, and what I
want for myself to contribute in the grand scheme of things. My identity is continuously growing
alongside my conscious experiences in this reality, and I find that its comprised of how you feel
about where you come from, what you do, and what you believe in.