Personal Identity is weird.

Who we are and what we think we are are concepts that are so far beyond our comprehension that we fight each day to try and figure out more.

The best analogy I can give for personal identity in today’s society is taking out a puzzle and pouring all of the pieces onto the table. Then you look at the box, then at the pieces, and back to the box and you realize something: The puzzle inside doesn’t match the picture on the box.

We work very hard to mold ourselves, while telling ourselves we aren't letting the outside world affect us. Everything about us is dictated by the world around us. Take our name for example. Not only is it chosen for us, but you can boil it down to just noises made to get our attention. Even though many are aware of this contradiction, we cling to this identity that starts with our name.

Once we start to form our identity, as we grow into our lives and this society, we begin to make choices. We choose how we dress, how we act, what we do and do not like, who we favor, and the list goes on and on. All of these factors need to be perfectly in place to make us who we are, or we fall apart. Our worldview will change if we don’t keep up our identity.

However what happens when you lose your identity? Imagine being a person who changes themselves so much that they forget who they truly are. Picture not every figuring out the answers to those questions. Would it be better to not know who you are so you can’t disappoint? I feel like, without identity, you are in a place that is safe but insecure and scary.

My advice to you is to go out and explore your identity, what makes you you. As well, if the world tells you that you can’t be a certain way, tell them off. Personal identity is weird, but it’s personal and it’s up to you to figure it out.