Keep your identity fluid

[McLovin]

Keep your identity small?

Why do some discussions involving smart and reasonable people generate such emotive responses and so often go nowhere? Why does this happen more often for politics and religion than for discussing, say, preferred sock colours?
In Paul Graham’s essay Keep Your Identity Small, he suggests that these topics are often too close to our identities which can obscure the truth:

http://mcntyr.com/keep-your-identity-fluid/

 

[Angela Davis]

Keep your identity small?

Why do some discussions involving smart and reasonable people generate such emotive responses and so often go nowhere? Why does this happen more often for politics and religion than for discussing, say, preferred sock colours?
In Paul Graham’s essay Keep Your Identity Small, he suggests that these topics are often too close to our identities which can obscure the truth:

http://mcntyr.com/keep-your-identity-fluid/

This is actually a really cool read. It totally makes sense. I think without an established identity...we lose our sense of self obviously but there's also this cliché saying we hear all the time...if you don't stand for something you'll fall for anything which relates to losing our sense of self. We have to realize thought that we are active creators of who we want to be and that life is more interesting and exciting if we embark on the journey of learning and UNLEARNING. It's ok to change and grow...we shouldn't be scared of it and we have to realize that if we aren't growing we are dying. Keeping our identity fluid means being able to adapt, change, grow, learn and not being stuck in some form of rigid societal creation of who people think you are or who you were raised to be. At some point in our lives we have to decide who we are for ourselves. That's critical component of becoming an adult. Also, even we do decide on who we are...we have to realize that who we are may change with time and the older we get and the relationships we form and that is ok.

 

[McLovin]

This is actually a really cool read. It totally makes sense. I think without an established identity...we lose our sense of self obviously but there's also this cliché saying we hear all the time...if you don't stand for something you'll fall for anything which relates to losing our sense of self. We have to realize thought that we are active creators of who we want to be and that life is more interesting and exciting if we embark on the journey of learning and UNLEARNING. It's ok to change and grow...we shouldn't be scared of it and we have to realize that if we aren't growing we are dying. Keeping our identity fluid means being able to adapt, change, grow, learn and not being stuck in some form of rigid societal creation of who people think you are or who you were raised to be. At some point in our lives we have to decide who we are for ourselves. That's critical component of becoming an adult. Also, even we do decide on who we are...we have to realize that who we are may change with time and the older we get and the relationships we form and that is ok.

Encapsulated the message perfectly