Unpacking Identity
When one begins to unpack their identity, it is perhaps easiest to start with the facts. Modern science has advanced our understanding of identities in a number of ways. Without the advances we have had within the medical and scientific community, millions of lives would be lost to various curable and treatable ailments, perhaps even my own. This has undeniably allowed a greater understanding of identity, and subsequently its expression within our world. However, when it comes to Science’s impact on unpacking our identities, on who we truly are as people, we must acknowledge that it is not a holistic approach. Science does a very succinct job at explaining where our ancestors came from, or what medical conditions we may be predispoed to, but the actual practice of processing identity is one that is best left to the individual to interpret.
See, you may have never met your great grandfather or long lost uncle, or perhaps even seen a picture of them, but you may wear their very features upon your face on a daily basis. You may not only have your grandfather's nose, but his dark sense of humor as well. It is perhaps this parallel between that which we know factually, and that which we become aware of slowly within our lives, as we gain experience and develop our identities that leads us to living most authentically. By beginning to unpack who we are as humans, not just from the perspective of science, but from a more complete perspective, we begin to live more authentically within our lives. As we become more aware of the complete nature of our beings, it becomes significantly easier to unpack that which is inherited, and that which is inherent within ourselves.
Our identities are perhaps the only life long project that we will endeavor to take on, slowly shaping and forming who we are as individuals. As we grow and mature into our most authentic selves throughout the course of our lives, we can begin to take a conscious look at who we were, who we are, and who we will become. This is not to say necessarily that these things will take place in a timely manner, or that they will happen at all for any given individual. It is more to say that as long as we maintain and acquire awareness of self, that we will inevitably take the truest course of action according to that awareness. We must not disregard what makes us individuals, rather embrace the process of learning as we grow, and adapt ourselves throughout the course of our lifetime.
Some may posture that all the awareness in the world won’t change the course of our lives, that fate will guide us to our ultimate destination. I do not subscribe to this theory. This is not to say that I don’t subscribe to some element of fate within our lives, rather I believe that through a combination of awareness and application of acquired and inherited skill, that we eventually become that which we are destined to. I even hesitate to use the word ‘destined’ because I think that the course of our lives is more of an ongoing maneuvering through the traffic of the world, while we are simply guided by the highway lanes that we select. We generally know where we are headed based upon our decisions, but it is up to us to facilitate the transportation and safety of our dreams to their final destination.
