Identity has been a tough nut to crack for most of us. For some it’s a long fought battle for others a constant struggle and for some it’s an ever perplexing phenomenon.
Have you ever wondered why ?
Why we bother so much to have an identity of our own ?
Please don’t confuse individuality with identity. We all assert our own individuality and that’s fine.
Identity is something else, I would call it a dirty little trick of the mind. It has its own perks and hence everyone wants to set their own differentiated identity. It surely gives us a huge ego boost sometime, help us to make quick acquaintances, prospective dates and sometimes false sense of purpose too.
It has its own demerits too. Identity crisis is something we hear all the time. The challenge with identifying too much with a trait/persona/beliefs is –
- it keeps you insecure in your own skin
- propels you to be somebody else
- incentivise to remain stubborn even when adapting is the need.
Coming back to the question, why we crave so much for an identity of own ?
Answer is simple. It feeds the mind and ego. It continues to make us believe we are better or worse than others. It intensifies the divide between self and other living beings. It makes us feel special.
One can argue, what’s wrong in that ?
Nothing if you are happy with your life. Everything, if you want to be more joyous and at peace.
Worth pondering if you is identifying too much with an identity.
