Identity

What makes up your identity ? Is it culture ? Is it made up by choice ?

This question troubles many of us because it is very hard to answer. Some believe that you are born with it. Others think that your identity is shaped by culture , & then many believe its shaped by personal choices. I think they all contribute in their own way.

The way i see it, you are born a specific gender so that itself is a factor in your identity. I am a male so it is expected for me to be strong, have courage, and treat women with respect. There arent many other factors that you are born with which make up your identity.

My culture has a bigger impact on identity than my birth. You are around culture so much that you grow accostumed to it and make it a part of who you are. I was raised in a culture were a man must always show respect to women no matter what happens. This shaped me up to become a gentlemen and the man i am today.

For me, personal choices contribute the most to my identity. The reason being that I always CHOOSE to do something. I choose to follow my culture, I choose who I want to be around and I also choose what I pay attention to. Everything we do we chose to do it consequently adding to who you are as a person or who you become in the future.

Embracing Otherness

Im in my stance facing my opponent on the field, listening to the roaring crowd, the sweat, the pain, my body being pushed to its limits, the great feeling of victory coming my way; yeah thats when im most myself. Under the friday night lights, fighting to bring a victory.

Playing football is something that i enjoy. It creates a feeling of inexplicable joy inside me. It makes me feel like if I am truly myself.

When I am playing football i feel free, like i am unstoppable. All my worries seem to disappear. Anything that was bothering me simply vanishes. It's just me and my teammates pursuing the same goal together.

I found that doing something you really enjoy will make you feel like you are yourself. It brings a feeling of oneness that that represents our "self". Oneness or otherness is not something we should be affraid of or run from.

Otherness defines who we are in the end, because our "self" changes constantly throughout our lives. It is essential that you find that one thing you truly love to do and embrace it because that creates who you are. You cant find out who you truly are if you don't open your eyes and accept otherness.