Let Your Life Speak
by Parker J. Palmer
Chapter II
"Now I Become Myself"
Copyright ©2000 by Jossey-Bass Inc., Publishers
San Francisco, CA

thing), but in the nature of the human self, in what brings the
self joy, the deep joy of knowing that we are here on earth to
be the gifts that God created.

Contrary to the conventions of our thinly moralistic cul-
ture, this emphasis on gladness and selfhood is not selfish. The
Quaker teacher Douglas Steere was fond of saying that
the ancient human question "Who am I?" leads inevitably
to the equally important question "Whose am I?" -- for there
is no selfhood outside of relationship. We must ask the ques-
tion of selfhood and answer it as honestly as we can, no mat-
ter where it takes us. Only as we do so can we discover the
community of our lives.

As I learn more about the seed of true self that was
planted when I was born, I also learn more about the ecosys-
tem in which I was planted -- the network of communal rela-
tions in which I am called to live responsively, accountably,
and joyfully with beings of every sort. Only when I know both
seed and system, self and community, can I embody the great
commandment to love both my neighbor and myself.

JOURNEY INTO DARKNESS

Most of us arrive at a sense of self and vocation only after a
long journey through alien lands. But this journey bears no
resemblance to the trouble-free "travel packages" sold by the

Now I Become Myself

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