Jami, Defined

I had a pretty awesome dream last night, and since I just did a post about dreams, I won't bore you with it, although at some point it might actually make a good short story. Or graphic novel, if I could draw, which I can't. The long and short of it was that I was a supervillian. A really, truly awesome supervillian, too, not that anyone who knows me would be surprised by the super or the villian part of that. Anyway, at the pinnacle of the dream, as my very cool plan fell into place, I asked the elite cadre of superheroes opposing me: "This challenge forces you to ask yourself, and tell the world- what defines you?" And I woke up thinking about that question. What defines you? PaperbackWriter used to have a little blurb on her blog listing the many titles she can claim, for lack of a better term. As in, daughter, wife, cousin, friend, writer, etc. That is one way we define ourselves. Most important in my life are my roles as wife and mother, but that isn't the extent of me. On some levels, our actions define us, as do our choices. We are what we do. But is that it? I've heard it said that we we do and think behind closed doors is who we truly are, but I'm not sure I totally agree with that. If Gandhi went home at night and kicked his dog, does that make what he did of less value? My thoughts, the most private parts of my souls that no human sees or knows - can that be the very essence of me? Or is that just an aspect of the whole - isn't what I show outwardly also part of the definition of Jami? Superheros choose a name. Most of the names are fairly clear and shed no light on the person in the mask. Spiderman - he's a man who has the power of a spider. But what about Ozymandias from the Watchmen (which I watched last night, very good, btw)? Knowing the poem and a tiny bit of the history, I wondered at a man who would choose such a name for his alter-ego. It's a hint, IMO, about what lies beneath. What about Superman - who would allow himself to be called that if he didn't believe that he is superior to men? He didn't come up with it himself, but he didn't offer a more catchy alternative, did he? If you were to name yourself, would you pick a name with a meaning more important to you? My name means successor, supplanter or usurper, depending on which translation you look at. I have always liked "successor" with its promise of something important waiting for me. The other two have a more negative connotation. But would I pick something else? Something I long for, like Serenity or Sage (meaning wisdom)? Something I think I am, like Cara (friend) or Drusilla (strength)? Or would you decide that a single name can never define all that we are. So, my dear heroes, now is the time to tell the world - what defines you?