True Identity
I had a conversation earlier that got me thinking.
A lot of people are very invested in their identities - class, gender, sex*, sexuality, ethnicity, hair colour, skin colour, eye colour, country of origin, town of origin, street of origin, religion, lack of religion, educational background, generation, looks, language, lack of money (or having loads of money), family background etc
I can see why other people might like to class themselves in certain ways, and I appreciate that they do, but to be honest: I just don't get why.
On an intellectual level I understand it completely, and I think it's sort of adorable most of the time as long as it doesn't cause conflict between people, but I can't help thinking none of these things is important.
Or relevant in any way.
Your background certainly informs your experiences and perceptions but why hem yourself in?
I think I might be a little status-blind. I notice that people are a certain thing and that they usually care about these things. I even understand and empathise with the reasons they think they matter.
I can also empathise with them that they probably think anyone who doesn't acknowledge these differences as something positive is unreasonable.
I think the part of my mind that cares about specific identities might be missing. I don't really miss it.
I appreciate other people's differences on a case by case basis, but people are people - when you can usually find massive differences between the two people in a set of identical twins it begins to look a bit ridiculous to lump them together.
I realise this all makes me look like some sort of freak as it really does seem to matter to everyone else in the world - so much that countless wars have been fought on the basis of some very minor differences indeed.
And I do think everyone is entitled to their own opinions on this and their own identities, if that's what makes them happy. I just don't understand why anyone feels that the things they feel about themselves need to have any influence on how they interact with everyone else.
It's not a simple issue but I think everyone really would be better off if they started having both an appreciation of everyone else's nuances, an acceptance that they feel this way about themselves, and also an acknowledgement that it really should not matter.
I know in the real world it does.
It's still stupid it does.
It's just a lazy, easy way of not bothering to learn anything really relevant about a person before you decide whether or not to give them your time.
I like the category "humanity". That might be the one exception.
Also, I am pretty sure I felt this way many years ago and everyone told me then I would change my mind and it was probably an identity crisis. Everyone apparently gets them when younger (it is possible I have just had a very extended one, I suppose!)
I don't think I really categorise myself - even if everyone else does it for me, anyway.
Like everyone else I am a collection of things: I am me; you are you. Isn't that enough?
NB I am not calling anyone who disagrees stupid - if I did that I would be setting myself up against almost everyone else in the entire world and me vs the world has terrible odds.
I also realise this all makes me look like I am an alien or something. I am not - though bow down in awe, puny humans - if you want. I am not bothered.
*biological sex vaguely important if you want to make a baby, but even then not very, and not always (certainly more factors involved than just that). And then nine months later it should cease to make a difference once more.
A lot of people are very invested in their identities - class, gender, sex*, sexuality, ethnicity, hair colour, skin colour, eye colour, country of origin, town of origin, street of origin, religion, lack of religion, educational background, generation, looks, language, lack of money (or having loads of money), family background etc
I can see why other people might like to class themselves in certain ways, and I appreciate that they do, but to be honest: I just don't get why.
On an intellectual level I understand it completely, and I think it's sort of adorable most of the time as long as it doesn't cause conflict between people, but I can't help thinking none of these things is important.
Or relevant in any way.
Your background certainly informs your experiences and perceptions but why hem yourself in?
I think I might be a little status-blind. I notice that people are a certain thing and that they usually care about these things. I even understand and empathise with the reasons they think they matter.
I can also empathise with them that they probably think anyone who doesn't acknowledge these differences as something positive is unreasonable.
I think the part of my mind that cares about specific identities might be missing. I don't really miss it.
I appreciate other people's differences on a case by case basis, but people are people - when you can usually find massive differences between the two people in a set of identical twins it begins to look a bit ridiculous to lump them together.
I realise this all makes me look like some sort of freak as it really does seem to matter to everyone else in the world - so much that countless wars have been fought on the basis of some very minor differences indeed.
And I do think everyone is entitled to their own opinions on this and their own identities, if that's what makes them happy. I just don't understand why anyone feels that the things they feel about themselves need to have any influence on how they interact with everyone else.
It's not a simple issue but I think everyone really would be better off if they started having both an appreciation of everyone else's nuances, an acceptance that they feel this way about themselves, and also an acknowledgement that it really should not matter.
I know in the real world it does.
It's still stupid it does.
It's just a lazy, easy way of not bothering to learn anything really relevant about a person before you decide whether or not to give them your time.
I like the category "humanity". That might be the one exception.
Also, I am pretty sure I felt this way many years ago and everyone told me then I would change my mind and it was probably an identity crisis. Everyone apparently gets them when younger (it is possible I have just had a very extended one, I suppose!)
I don't think I really categorise myself - even if everyone else does it for me, anyway.
Like everyone else I am a collection of things: I am me; you are you. Isn't that enough?
NB I am not calling anyone who disagrees stupid - if I did that I would be setting myself up against almost everyone else in the entire world and me vs the world has terrible odds.
I also realise this all makes me look like I am an alien or something. I am not - though bow down in awe, puny humans - if you want. I am not bothered.
*biological sex vaguely important if you want to make a baby, but even then not very, and not always (certainly more factors involved than just that). And then nine months later it should cease to make a difference once more.