So what about the other side of
identity? I talked last night about the whole (slightly silly)
concept that a person's identity in society is defined pretty much by
what they can get other people to agree to.
But the internal identity, that seems
not quite so silly. I've spent most of my life trying (and sometimes
succeeding) to answer that basic question 'Who Am I?' It's an
important one, and one that I feel far too many people refuse to ask,
or at least ask seriously.
Most people seem to take a few basic
words, a few simple descriptors, and use those to answer the
question. They then proceed to live lives based on those answers as
if such a complex and powerful question could be answered with just a
few words.
I have been through therapy and done a
great deal of soul searching in my 45 years. It has always paid off
in terms of understanding myself better and improving my ability to
live life (in some cases, to live at all).
Whoever you may happen to perceive
yourself to be, you should listen to the words running through your
head all the time. You should pay attention to the situations you
find yourself in, and see if you can understand why you're there, why
you react the way you do. The better you understand your own
motivations, thought patterns and emotional states and responses, the
more balanced, fulfilling and 'happy' a life you will lead. I put
that last in quotes because there seem to be more definitions of
'happiness' than there are people on the planet.
In any case, if you've never spent an
hour just listening to yourself, watching yourself behave, or
discussing these things with someone (professional counselor or not),
you just might be surprised at how valuable that time is.
Whether you're a scientist, a
spiritualist, a person of faith or an out and out nihilist doesn't
matter. What matters is that the only investment a human can make
that always (ALWAYS)
provides a high return is to pay attention. It would seem that
paying attention to yourself would be the wisest place to start, no
matter which direction you might be facing right now.
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