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The Secrets to Our Identity — Mind, Work, and State of Being
What makes us who were are?
What makes us who we are?
The question about our identity has been around for a very long time and is mostly unanswered. When people ask you who you are you mostly reply with your name. Something that your parents gave you.
Or you tell them what you do for work, how you make your money — but is that who you are?
As you can tell, it’s a difficult question.
Is there an answer?
Who are we?
“The soul takes nothing with her to the next world but her education and culture. At the beginning of her journey to the next world, the soul’s chief concern is with her true identity.”
— Plato (The Republic)
Beautifully described by Plato, but we don’t get any further in our quest to find the meaning of our identity. The only thing we can derive from it is that all material possessions on earth are irrelevant.
Education and culture is what our soul consists of.
Yet, we’re living in a world that is continuing and developing to be one where material possessions and capital remain very important for us — it’s a way of defining our status. Without possessions, you are less valued by society.
As Karl Marx said: “The worker is nothing more than a machine for the production of surplus value, and his value is measured by the amount of capital he can generate.”
The capitalist world depends on the workers but also exploits them. They are only relevant if they can generate capital for them but the workers don’t gather any capital themselves.
If you’re just working, what is your identity? You’re not a worker, you are a human being with interests, skills, desires, and things that make you unique.
People tend to focus on work more than on happiness — luckily we see a trend that is shifting. Gen Z’ers are concerned about their mental health (as they should), but there must be a balance.
The best would be to find a balance between making your money, being good for society, and finding happiness — which sounds an awful lot like how…
