Ego Sum

He thinks he has it all figured out. He thinks he knows what he wants. He thinks his life is on track. But he knows he thinks wrong. He has his labels...son, brother, friend, colleague, classmate, cousin, nephew, grandson, uncle and mister. But these are the labels that others give him. He doesn't have a label for himself. 

He wishes he does though...he desperately searches for it. He seeks it out furtively. Secretly. Like a mouse skirting along the wall trying to go unnoticed, he tries to label himself without letting others know that he doesn't know himself. 

At times, he's terrified that he won't ever know who he is. Sure, he's a good person, but that's not his identity. He has some likes, but no passions. He has some fears, but no phobias. Some crushes, but no loves. Some traits, but nothing that puts him head and shoulders above the others. He's neither a saint, nor a sinner. He's not radical. It's hard to find your clique when you don't know what you want. 

For now, when people ask him who he is, he uses one of the labels provided to him by everyone else around him. For those who don't know him, he has a label they can use - stranger. He has quite a few of them in fact, a whole box full of labels. He has it compartmentalised according to relationship - family, friend, work, school, neighbour, acquaintance and miscellaneous. But there's one compartment that's empty - self.  

One day, he tells himself, one day I'll know who I am.