What is Identity?

What is identity? Is it the language we speak? Is it our culture? Is it our gender or our private self versus public self? Or how about our occupation from day to day life? What about, all of these things? Yes, that’s right, identity encompaasses all of these things. But why does identity matter? Well, in my opinion, it is what truly makes up a person on a day to day basis. People are never able to come out of their shell, and they never look for the other qualities that truly make up a person. However, identity is something that we cannot change or show. It is not something that a person has to search for it is what you are born with. It’s what makes us all up! Identity separates each person from the next, making everyone unique, in my opinion. It makes one latina different than the next. One chef different than another. Everyone is the same in many ways, but everyone is also different in a plentiful amount of ways.

Identity matters to me because it defines a person, and I am a person and for that reason identity should matter to everyone. Being a person is a privilege, having life and being able to be your own person is the best feeling in the world, because the truth of the matter is, there is no one else in the world that is just or EXACTLY like you. And to me, that is something very amazing. Each day, we can wake up and be us. Whether it is by the color of our skin, our job, or our gender, or even the little personality traits that people may or may not know about us.

One aspect of identity that matters most to me is the private versus public self. Everyone knows that there is a time and a place for everything. So how is everyone when they are in a personal cozy setting, or in a professional workplace environment? Maybe, the people we see at school or work, are completely different people outside of that environment. A person could be the most professional person in the world, while at the same time being the same laid back person. People have double lives all the time, and this is interesting to look into, because how often do we think we know the person next to us, but in all actuality, they live a completely different lifestyle and have a whole different side to them that we are not exposed to. For this, we are able to learn and discover more about people that we may know each and every day. Hidden identities are one of the most common factors that lead a person to be misinterpreted by others. However, sometimes, maybe being misinterpreted is a good thing, and it gives people something to look into when getting to know them . For this, identity is important. Identity gives a reason to be who we are, and how to be who we are. Identity makes us different, it separates all of us and makes us individuals, the way that life was intended to be.