A Whole New World - Breaking Free From Identity

Many if not most people consider that their identity is solid, clear and fixed. In fact, our  identity is one of most cherished of human concerns and attachments. Identity is very important to us. Who others are means a lot, too. However, given the experience we are born into an identity, told who we are by our parents, family and greater culture, and there is very little control we have over what our identity is.

Until some of us come to an understanding that identity is not fixed, that it can and does change and we have the right and means to change it on purpose. Though our society and varioius cultural norms might have a hard time coping with a change we make in our identities, that in itself is not a reason to argue against it. If a person has a reason to make any changes to their identity, that is up to them.

Identity is made up of many different things: our species, biological sex, our outward expression of gender, groups we identify with and feel attached to, our age, even our names. I have experienced identity issues throughout my life, early on because of how my body looked and how others treated me for being fat and - in my eyes - looking more like a girl. Later, I gained clarity on what race I was, and what that meant to not be white like the boy on "Family Affair," even though I thought I looked like him. After puberty, I learned about diverse views on sexual identity, and wavered (to this day) in between a few of them. Now, it matters only to the degree that I'm at ease in my existence, flexible from moment to moment about who I say that I am, and what I consider myself. It's my choice, after all.