ON THE NATURE OF HUMAN IDENTITY

"Some days i feel small and insignificant,like a blade of grass", said the seeker,"On other days, i feel big and important. Sometimes, i feel helpless,as if i know nothing; And sometimes i feel powerful and all knowing. There are days, when i think i know who i am,and days that i am not sure. What is my true identity?"

Throughout our life span, our idea of who we are keeps changing according to circumstances. And yet,there is also a steady idea of identity that we maintain over time. Our sense of identity is largely shaped by social conditioning. We believe that we are what society tells us that we are. As we grow through the stages of life,and play many roles: Child, Adult, Parent, Citizen, Professional,etc. We identify ourselves with these roles. When the roles change,our sense of identity also changes. We construct the story of our life in conjunction with society. We play the hero/heroine in our own story; But alas! More often than not,the plot does not evolve as planned.
When we succeed to achieve our goals,we feel important and powerful,and when we fail,we feel insignificant and helpless. When society approves of us,we think we are a success,and when it disapproves of us,we think we are a failure. So,we can say that a large part of our identity is socially constructed and fluid.
The part of our identity ,which remains steady throughout life,depends largely on our values. When we hold on consistently to our values, we form the part of our identity that has continuity. If our values change,our identity changes too. If we stick to our core values,and do not compromise them, we develop the "solid" part of our identity.
According to Carlos Castaneda,the Self comprises of two parts: the young self,and the old/ancient self. The young self is fluffy and excitable.It is very small in comparison to our ancient self. The ancient self lies silent beneath the surface of our awareness. It holds the knowledge derived from all of our experiences in the universe. When we are connected to our ancient self,we feel powerful and all-knowing. So, the young self has to cultivate a stable and conscious connection to the ancient self.
Everyone is important and no-one is important. Both feelings are based on illusion. You are important to the people who care about you. You are also important to the people who use you and benefit from the relationship with you. But that does not make you more important than anyone else. Every life form is equally important to Creation. You can be a king or a beggar-it doesn't matter. Our sense of importance or lack of it,is based on social convention. It is not based on The Truth of Eternity. It is likely that the beggar will achieve enlightenment before the king,as the king has to deal with the diversions of self-importance,and with too many responsibilities and duties. Since you are both important and unimportant,the term is meaningless in defining your identity. You are only important in relation to someone or something. Since you are little compare to some,but big compare to others,that term too does not define your identity. Part of you knows nothing, but there is a part of you that knows everything. So,are you ignorant or are you all knowing?...Ah! When your young self and your ancient self combine forces, you become all-knowing and powerful.
In a lifetime,you develop a character and a sense of identity. When you dedicate yourself to the pursuit of self-knowledge, your young self, ancient self and the universe- all become one. And then you realize the truth of your identity: You are an immortal spirit residing in the flesh,reflecting the image and traits of the Creator and co-participating in The Act of Creation.

All rights to this article are reserved by its author:Gloria Eagle