Who am I? (On identities and ideologies)
Human experience is projection. We project based on who we are and who we think others to be, based on our understanding of who they are supposed to be. Identities sometimes help shape our sense of self. An identity creates attachments and gives community. It gives a sense of belonging, and because that is core to our existence, we often react viscerally when there seems to be an affront to our identity. We take on different identities, at different times, and a lot of times, not of our own volition. Some of us reject it, others haphazardly accept it and play into it, while others embrace it and make it their raison d'etre. Some identities are constant, while many change throughout our lives and we lean into them differently, at different points. Sometimes identities are formed based on ideologies, and some ideologies, based on identities. the two go hand in hand and are no doubt interconnected and interwoven. It's hard to define an identity on the surface. There are identit...