People used to derive a sense of identity from the place that they were born and raised. They identified with the church that they attended and the schools that they attended. They were defined by their profession and their friends, how much money they made, what kind of car they drove, what neighborhood they lived in.
These things still contribute to people’s sense of identity but these days things change so fast that if you define yourself solely in terms of these things, you are building your identity on shifting sands.
Things change fast these days. Practically no one lives their whole life in the town where they were born. Most people move at least two or three times over the span of a career and many move more than that. As a side effect, even the most devout church goer ends up changing congregations several times at least.
In this age of ever more expensive cost of higher education people are taking longer to complete their education and often as not are studying at more than one school. This tends to dilute the identification with alma mater.
And the work place is changing so fast that few people complete a career in one profession and even if they do, they end up having to reeducate themselves at least once a decade or so.
So, where do we derive our modern identities from? In part we make our own tribes. We reach out to people with similar interests. We make friends online and use the various miracles of modern communication to bridge the distances that may span the globe.
We struggle, we experiment, we adapt, and in the final analysis, we get through it all. If you keep searching for the things that make you happy and doing the things that you know are right, you will become the person that you were meant to be.
Sweet dreams, don’t forget to tell the ones you love that you love them, and most important of all, be kind.