Silk Roads: China, The Middle East, and The New World

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Cynthia Meyer-Francis

11 April 2007

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REFLECTIONS

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“DEFINING IDENTITY”

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I watched with interest as the beautiful exotic-like woman made her entrance into the large crowded room of the Longhouse.  She was dressed in distinctive cultural garb and carried with her a bell or gong like instrument.  I was intrigued by her beauty and wondered what purpose the instrument held in the event I was about to take part in.   

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This was the beginning of the Liberal Arts Forum on “Defining Identity” that took place at The Evergreen State College.  The experience was different for me.  It was something I had never done before and I enjoyed it immensely.  These are my reflections of that experience.

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The room in the Longhouse was filled with expectant people.  We were sitting at large round tables each of which had the same list of questions concerning the subject of “Identity”, written on a card sitting at the center of the table.  The beautiful woman explained to us that we would be discussing the questions with everyone at our table until she hit the instrument and then we would change to another table and do the same all over again.

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The changing of tables ended up being my favorite part of the Forum.  It allowed me to discuss the same questions with a growing number of people of diverse backgrounds.

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Even though we changed tables often, we never managed to cover all the given questions.  At each table it seemed we would hit on one or two questions and then let the conversation go where it wanted to go.  By the time I left this event I was a changed person.

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I believe our genes define our identity up to a point, but in my opinion we are much more affected by our environment and the experiences in that environment while we are growing up.  When a child is raised in a dysfunctional family or with no family at all, their identity is usually affected in a negative way.  This goes as well for anyone who experiences prejudice, negative criticism, or name calling on a regular basis.  A person who has gone through violent trauma is affected in the worst way.  When people have been treated poorly, or defamed, they have a more difficult time forming their views and believing in themselves.  I think this puts them at a disadvantage with those who are comfortable and confident in the things they believe in and feel strongly about.  The opinions we hold about our world come from our identity, or could it be that our identity comes from the opinions we hold about our world?

    

What if we have difficulty forming an identity that we want to believe in?  Often people let their feelings of inadequacy keep them from sharing their true identities with others.  We all have some part of us kept private but hopefully it is for healthy reasons.  People who have been traumatized seem to believe all of who they are must be kept private.  They have no confidence in their personal views and don’t believe they are as intelligent or as good as others.  People who have experienced prejudice sometimes keep their views private, while others seem to voice them so loudly that people don’t even care to hear.  This comes from their long lived frustrations of being treated unfairly.  Both reactions are a detriment to the forming of their true identities. 

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Education does inform and define identity.  Our identity is not a fixed part of our personality because the more we educate ourselves the more we change.  The more information given us, the more our minds are opened to evaluating ourselves and the more apt our identity is to change. 

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Who we are changes throughout our lives for many reasons.  We change as we age, if we move to a different job and as we get formal education.  We also change if we are going through a transition in our life.  It doesn’t matter if the transition is good or bad; it still has a strong ability to change who we are.  Our identities especially change if we travel to other countries and learn about the native language, culture and how their identities formed due to their life experiences.  In our country we have many choices as to how we educate ourselves and they all have an affect on our identity.  The more we experience and learn, the more our identity changes and grows.

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As a nation, to our detriment, we hold on to an opinion that must be overcome; this opinion is “our view of being the best”.  Whether a single person, or an entire nation, if one thinks they are the best, they then see no reason to grow or change.  The more open minded we become, the more able we are to see situations from a different view.  These views can be an opportunity to grow and to possibly change the opinion we hold on to so strongly.  If we are trying to communicate with other countries where the citizens speak different languages, translations can sometimes make understanding one another difficult.  It is important to be sure we know who these people are and what they want for themselves and their country.  If we can’t understand one another it will be impossible to open our minds, share our views, and come to a place that will satisfy all parties involved.  If we are unable to accomplish this it can easily lead to conflict and over a period of time, possibly, a war. 

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We can stop this from happening by having a solid identity both individually and as a country.  This is one of the most important times to know who we are, what we believe in, and what we will stand for.  It is also one of the most important times for us to be opening our minds to other people, nationalities, their country’s and cultures.

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If we can find the opportunity, one of the best ways to broaden our identities is to travel as much of the world as possible.  By traveling we can learn new languages and spend time with other nations, learning all we can about their culture and especially their identities.  If we are able to travel to other countries and share in their culture we will have the chance to understand one another, to learn where each of us is coming from and why our views differ.  This communication, if successful, is a win-win situation.  It allows everyone involved to grow and change in a positive way.  This is what having an identity is all about, learning as much as we can about each other’s views, therefore allowing ourselves to come closer together. 

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Even though the people of our world are different in some ways, and the same in others, we can share our identities and come to understand life as one picture.  The picture is our world, and we all play an integral part as to how our world will turn out.  It’s like a puzzle; each of us is one piece of the puzzle, without each individual piece it will never come together and it will never be that special picture it was meant to be.  The puzzle and the picture are the world we live in and the planet we live on.  It is every human being’s responsibility, with humility, to place their piece of our puzzle into our picture.  

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Reorganized and edited as follows:

I believe our genes define our identity up to a point, but we are much more affected by our environment and the experiences in that environment while we are growing up.  Education does inform and define identity.  Our identity is not a fixed part of our personality because the more we educate ourselves the more we change.  The more information given us, the more our minds are opened to evaluating ourselves and the more apt our identity is to change.  The more open minded we become, the more able we are to see situations from a different view.   

The opinions we hold about our world come from our identity, or could it be that our identity comes from the opinions we hold about our world? 

We can stop [conflict] by having a solid identity both individually and as a country.  This is one of the most important times to know who we are, what we believe in, and what we will stand for.  It is also one of the most important times for us to be opening our minds to other people, nationalities, their country’s and cultures. One of the best ways to broaden our identities is to travel as much of the world as possible.  If we are able to travel to other countries and share in their culture we will have the chance to understand one another, to learn where each of us is coming from and why our views differ.  This communication, if successful, is a win-win situation.  It allows everyone involved to grow and change in a positive way.  This is what having an identity is all about, learning as much as we can about each other’s views, therefore allowing ourselves to come closer together.   

Even though the people of our world are different in some ways, and the same in others, we can share our identities and come to understand life as one picture.  The picture is our world, and we all play an integral part as to how our world will turn out.  It’s like a puzzle; each of us is one piece of the puzzle, without each individual piece it will never come together and it will never be that special picture it was meant to be.  The puzzle and the picture are the world we live in and the planet we live on.  It is every human being’s responsibility, with humility, to place their piece of our puzzle into our picture.  

Verdict: Edited out repetitions and references to the forum (Documentary vs. reflective), reorganized to bring themes together, possible opening to Travel Writing section?