Craving for identity

Humans are social animals. We always want to be part of a group. We find ways to identify with a group. When we are in Chennai, we don the identity of a Coimbatorian. When we are in Bangalore we are a Tamilian. When we are in Delhi we are a South Indian. When we are in the US, we are an Indian.

We choose a favourable identity that differentiates ourselves from the crowd. We are a cricket lover when India is winning and follow hockey or badminton when India is losing. We also want to hang out with people who share the same identity. We can’t deny that a shared identity even influence our decisions when choosing somebody as a friend or a colleague.

We generally have a loose association with our identity. But If someone is challenging that identity, we want to strongly cling on to it. More we are cornered, more we embrace an identity. Then we somehow form a very close connection to our chosen identity and ready to sacrifice everything for it.

The nationalism is high during the times of war. We are more religious when we are a minority. We feel more Dravidian when Hindi is imposed on us. Many of my friends started speaking in pure Tamil when they moved to the US. They feel like a minority out there and the identity of a Tamilian comforts them.

Identity is imaginary. But it is capable of creating strong boundaries. Strong boundaries create conflicts. And conflicts create fanatics. Fanatics can destroy the world.