Identity

Who you are is important. 
Even the government thinks so: It gives each of us a unique identifier number and requires us to account for ourselves at least annually!

But our identity is even more important to US.  We want and need to BELONG and yet we want and need to be SPECIAL.  So it’s a complex mix.  But that’s what makes us unique. 

Now what about you?

Are you a Republican, Democrat or Libertarian?   Is that really important, and what does it mean?  Do you vote a straight party ticket or do you consider each candidate on his or her own merits?  Do the issues matter, or is the party paramount?  Are you merely a passive pawn or are you a perspicacious participant?  Boy, life is tough!

We all want to be identified as “winners” – or at least as part of a winning team.  (How else does one explain the wearing of apparel emblazoned with somebody else’s name or number?)  But this is about US … about ME … about YOU.  Are you “winning”?  What is your winning strategy?  What is your schtick – what are you bringing to the table – what’s your contribution – what makes you a uniquely valued individual or member of a favored group – how is your identity maintained in the group matrix – what makes you a “sanctioned” participant?

My aunt Bea made the best yeast rolls in the world; she sent a card to each of her nieces and nephews on their birthdays; she housed and looked after the family patriarch; she served as the church bookkeeper and custodian; and she invited the entire extended family to her house on Thanksgiving. 

In a very real sense, we’re all “candidates” … for esteemed membership in the family … for jobs … for promotions … for acceptance into professional organizations … for membership in social associations and community groups … How, exactly, is your “candidacy” progressing? 

Point to Ponder:

For membership in some groups, all you have to do is pay your dues.

(!) 

Early in the going, most of us are identified by our heritage: “Oh, I see: You’re JP’s son.”  Some can trace family ties back to the Mayflower and beyond.  

For ultimate/intimate identity, we each have unique DNA, most visibly reflected in our fingerprints.  However, some would contend that what counts most is our “LIFEPRINT”:  What uniquely identifiable impressions are you leaving in the sands of time … besides being well on your way to consuming 135,000 pounds of food, drinking 12,480 gallons of water, producing 750,000 pounds (375 tons) of waste and watching 120,000 hours of television? 

Some are said to enjoy a “larger than life” identity – living well beyond the confines and constraints of a parochial, provincial singularity.  A great many are not enjoying a “smaller than life” identity.  

Point to Ponder:

How many different “identities” do you claim?

Son/Daughter::Worker Bee/Manager:: [ _______ Affiliation]::Parent::Owner/Driver

Student of the Universe::Seeker … 

And how much can we influence our identity – beyond simply masquerading [Facebook?]?Not much, some would say.  Would your identity change with unlimited amounts of money … makeup … reconstructive surgery?

Dateline: Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2013 Daily News

[http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/unemployed-ex-con-turned-powerball-winner-dies-hospice-article-1.1536710]

“An unemployed ex-con turned $27 million Powerball winner has died in a community hospice care after reportedly losing his mansions, cars, Learjet and moving into a storage shed.

David Lee Edwards … , a drug addict … spent a third of his life behind bars for theft …   

[alternately]  living unemployed in his late parents' home and borrowing money to keep his water running”  

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But, whoever we are, we can at least be our BEST selves rather than degenerating to our WORST selves.  There's a lot of latitude here.

 

Defining Moments can dramatically impact the possibilities. When “called to account” in sobering, “Moment-of-Truth” reality checks, most of us can “straighten up and fly right”, at least for a finite period of time.    

Constraints implied or imposed can also make a huge difference.  Is your identity different when nobody is looking over your shoulder?   

Point to Ponder:

Is “identity” different from “character”? 

Points to Ponder Further:

“Selling one’s soul” for an operational identity inconsistent with core identity

(as in “It’s what I do but it’s not who I am!”)

 is a formula for impending disaster.

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Military engagement with an incompletely fleshed out core identity

can lead to a pronounced personal/core identity crisis.

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How consistent is your résumé with your operational identity?

… your core identity? 

Abraham Lincoln did not, all-of-a-sudden, become “Presidential”

when he was elected President. 

Our identity is frequently reflected by the company we keep and the values we hold.  Keeping close company with impeccable core principles, values, standards and ideals is a practice worth cultivating for the duration.  Quartermaster