"Identity can be defined as the condition of being oneself and not another."

  

           When asked for our identification, there are numerous procedures in order to ensure companies and organizations that we are who we claim we are: A driver’s license, social security number, mother’s maiden, etc. We live in an age where our family history and ethnic backgrounds are filed and stored into an intricate combination of numbers. With all the research and studies we have done in order to diagnose and catalog people into groups and personality traits, there is still one question that we, as human beings, still struggle to answer: “Who am I?” Unfortunately, there is no absolute answer; each is as unique as the person that asks it. Inherently, it confronts the never ending struggle of identity.

             Identity can be defined as the condition of being oneself and not another. There are many ways to reveal a person’s self. One can be whether a person desires individuality or conformity. Those that seek individuality may search for their identity through their own methods that can be considered unconventional. Those that seek conformity may find safety in numbers by searching for their identity through the locally accepted norm in order to find a mold that best fits them.

              Although this is a very important characteristic to consider, it is only one piece of a complex puzzle which helps determine someone’s identity. One piece by itself does not define much but fit together with other traits and characteristics helps reveal a clearer picture of someone’s identity.

              There is no right or wrong between these two choices; finding one’s identity should not be the pursuit of finding the right answer, but to embrace the answer as a truth. Numbers should not determine who we are nor should superficial classifications especially since each of our identities are so profound and unique.