• Blog #9: Set a timer for 15 minutes and free write your response to Galen’s argument. Note specific moments in his essay as you respond. Some things to consider: Have you ever felt impeded by your “life story?” If so, how? Do you feel like it’s truthful or possible to perceive your self as a singular self or can you relate when Galen talks about possessing many selves?

I am not sure what my life story is, it’s so hard to know or even think about. As I grow older it seems like I will begin to understand and form my life story but even then I may not know still. To answer the question “have you ever felt impeded by your life story?” I would have to say yes. Even though I don’t understand my life story, I still think that a part of it has to do with how I grew up. I grew up in a nice home with two parents, siblings and pets. The part of me that felt held back was with my parents. To me they always seemed strict and would not let me do things that I wanted. I think that this impeded my life and kept me from a different life. Without them, I may not have chosen this University and I could be in a totally different place. This could be a good or bad thing. I look as it as bad right now because I did not like how strict they were with me growing up. But I know it is because they love me and want the best for me.

When Galen was talking about how how people are made up of several people, I do not agree. I understand the point but It does not feel real. I commented that I feel as though I have different personalities that may make me seem like a different person. But as one person, I come with different personalities who make me who I am. I am always one person, I just express different emotions at different times. It is hard to think about becoming a different person and I am not sure how that could even happen. In my eyes a new person is a whole new body, unique from everyone else.

It was interesting reading this piece, parts of it I understood and others were a bit complicated. He also said that “there is no complete life. There are only fragments. We are born to have nothing, to have it pour through our hands.” I do not see how that makes sense. In my eyes, there is such thing as a complete life. Though many people may not have one does not mean that it’s not there. I think that fragments make up somebody’s life and even if it’s not complete for different reasons, it’s still a life and a story.

The author also mentioned how one’s Identify should be through self-narration. I understand this point, but what if some people are not capable of self-narration? They still have identities and they are still just as important. He goes on to develop Marya Schechtman’s view that one “must be in possession of a full and explicit narrative to develop fully as a person.” I also am not sure how to react to this. Apart of me wants to agree just because my points may not make perfect sense. But on the other hand, I want to disagree and say that you do not have to be in a narrative to develop fully. Some of this writing seems so wrong to me. Maybe I don’t know much about the subject and am interpreting this wrong. But right now I don’t know how exactly to react.

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