We accept identity as an important expression of our individuality and our sense of belonging, seemingly without question. But what exactly is identity, and why do we put such significance on it?

Identity refers to any grouping, belief, or value that we identify with; one that we either feel we belong to, or represent. These identifiers might be religious, cultural, political, physical, or related to social positioning, language, nationality, sexuality, family, etc. And yet while celebrating identity, we are troubled with racism, persecution, subjugation, intimidation, and intolerance. But it’s only because of identity that we have all the bigotry that we find so offensive.

The moment we identify with a particular group, or belief, we are directly creating divisions and sub-classifications within society, which serve to further strengthen our own sense of identity. These overt associations become the very definition of who we are, without which, we as an individual would have no identity, like being stateless.

Since we are the product of circumstance, nothing about who we are is directly attributable to us – we being the sum of everything but ourselves – it is difficult to pinpoint exactly who the self is. The awareness of ourselves doesn’t change the mechanics and influences that make us who we are, which is why we are so fond of creating an identity by adopting convenient or even imposed values and ideas.

These identities that we align ourselves to, give substance to an otherwise meaningless self, and therefore that self becomes that identity. And since we’re encouraged to value the self, and believe we are autonomous individuals, our identity becomes very precious to us, so much so, that if we were to modify or even change our identity, we – the person we identify with – would no longer exist. That’s why there’s such a huge effort by different forces – social, religious, political – each vying to be the group or belief that we identify with, because once they’ve got us, they’ve got us for life.

Our identity, by it’s very definition, is inflexible, and so, as humans, with our exceptional ability to adapt, have relinquished that attribute at a time when it’s absolutely pertinent, and now just fight amongst ourselves to preserve whatever our identity happens to be, rather than adapting and responding appropriately to the changing state of our world.