I Construct Myself Through Decisions Derived from: Immanuel Kant’s “We Construct the Self

1. I Construct Myself Through Decisions
Derived from: Immanuel Kant’s “We Construct the Self”
Lyca Mae Aurelio BSN I-D
In a primary sense, the Bible is the Story of God and His unfolding plan for mankind.
In a secondary sense, it is a record of how men and women have responded to God in His
dealings with them. And in this sense, it is a collection of stories outlining the choices men
and women made; decisions that defined them for good or evil which is highly related to
Immanuel Kant’s philosophy, “We construct the self.”
If you think about it, we are who we are based on the decisions we have made. Right
now, this minute, I am who I am because of the choices I make. Let me amplify on this by
pointing out what I am not. I am not a product of my past. People with far worse baggage
have overcome the restrictions of their past by making choices in their present that redefined
their futures. I am not a victim of circumstance. People facing far greater challenges have
risen above their plight to become victors in life. I am not the sum total of my genetics, my
upbringing and my weaknesses. People dealt a hand far poorer than mine have shed their
limitations to live lives of significance.
I cannot blame something in the water, something in the air or something in the food.
Nor can I point the finger at the place of my birth, the color of my eyes or the bully in third
grade. And the nature versus nurture debate can only take you so far. The “raw materials” I
have been given through my birth and upbringing are not a prison cell; they merely provide
the context from which I am to make decisions to boldly go where I have not been before.
I have to accept deep in my soul that who I am right now is based on the choices I
make, the decisions I have made over a life time. In a very real and sobering way, you are
right at this moment are the sum total of your decisions; the choices you’ve made in the
context of the “raw materials” you have.