Losing my identities
I’ve been reflecting on why Kashmir has affected me so deeply — I’ve never been there, don’t have any Kashmiri friends.
Yet I’ve been thrashing around — and that’s because of my Indian identity — the idea of who I am and what the country stands for — that idea is now dying.
I’m fighting to prevent that from dying — yet there’s little I can do to change the minds of fellow Indians if they are so inclined.
Everyone has their own identities — we look at the world through our identity filter. We emphasize data that reinforces our identity. Therefore all the raging social media battles.
So the only way to avoid constant turmoil is for me to let go of my Indian identity — and along with it so many others that I carry.
I guess this is what people call renunciation — it was much easier to let go of things than my identities. But only by doing this can I see the truth, unfiltered.
Identity does have purpose — its the compass that helps me navigate through an uncertain world, the fuel that sustains my drive and the glue that bonds me to fellow humans.
So I’m keeping one and letting the rest go.
Losing:
Urbane
International
Cosmopolitan
Educated
Middle class
Data scientist
Market researcher
Economist
Brown
Entrepreneur
Intellectual
Startup founder
Honest
CEO
Cyclist
Loyola College alumni
University of Madras alumni
Fitness enthusiast
INSEADer
Technologist
Professional
Poet
Solar Dynasty
Minimalist
Polyamorous
Liberal
Multi-cultural
Don Bosco School alumni
Desi
Single dad
Tamilian
Hindu
Middle-aged
Gen X
Non Resident Indian
Immigrant
Friend
Failure
Smartest
Intelligent
Californian
Bay Area Resident
Heterosexual
Indian
Raj family
Good person
Father
Man
Keeping:
Human
©️ Siva Raj, 2019
