Mis - Identified
So, who are you, really?
Never forget who you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armor yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you.
George R.R. Martin (or Tyrion Lannister… whatever floats your boat)
The world which we inhabit is in the business of misidentification.
If you don’t believe me, simply open Instagram and scroll through some of the comments.
We love to name and label,
but really,
We do all this in an effort to try and understand.
The problem is, as complex and evolving beings, we aren’t quite as skilled at determining the potential roles and agendas of a person as we’d like to believe. And so…
This naturally leads to mislabeling.
The child is “just” a kid, the professor is “boring”, your coworker is “lazy”
Is.
Not acts like. Not can be. Just is.
I’m sure you see the problem here.
The way in which we use these adjectives only serve to keep folks trapped in whatever false narrative society has adopted for them.
And —
The longer we hold on to them…
the further from reality we get (remember, the bubble analogy?)
The consequences of which, are far more dire than simple dissatisfaction in this life. I believe, they can extend to eternity if we aren’t careful.
But, keeping with this plane, the impact is doubly harmful when the subject of the stereotype is yourself.
Stereotype threat is a psychological term that references our tendency to reinforce the version of ourselves the rest of the world sees – even when it’s not true.
According to Stanford researcher Claude Steele, being indirectly identified as “less smart” will lead to test participants reinforcing the bias, regardless of the intellect they possess.
Essentially, these students (who in the study, were mostly black) could not delineate their true selves from a perception some random instructor had of them.
In effect, the instructors perception became their own.
This is especially salient when we look at the state of our public-school system today, and the constant ‘reminders’ certain students receive on a consistent basis to keep them in line.
Here’s the kicker.
What is happening is, many instructors, for whatever reason —
are lying to us about who we are.
And we have no choice but to believe them.
These labels often hold very little correlation to truth, and can be so far removed in fact, that in certain environments, I’ve witnessed gifted kids be placed in special ed.
Not because they couldn’t keep up, but solely for the sake of a teacher who simply didn’t want to deal.
These perspectives are exponentially harmful when one begins to take a step back and look at generational trends within communities, and the worst part is that they usually represent narrow perspectives held by a belligerent few.
To be sure, there are a number of false masks I have seen becoming more prevalent outside the realm of education; but three in particular that have been anything but encouraging for our collective human condition.
- Consumer.
- Personality Type.
- Job Title.
And, in my humble opinion... all of them are trash.
To me, there is really only one label which accurately encapsulates the entirety of our experiences without restricting or appropriating them; and that is, the title of Human Being.
Perhaps it’s impossible to wear an identity without becoming what you pretend to be.
Orson Scott Card, Ender’s Game
BUY, BUY, BUY!
In the land of the free, it seems like the options that abound are anything but.
One would be hard pressed to engage in any activity anywhere without being bombarded with advertisements telling you what you need to fix about yourself. Or add to yourself. Or subtract from yourself.
In fact, our culture is so saturated with the notion of owning stuff that alters our current state that — I believe — we have collectively forgotten just how meaningless this stuff really is... and worse, how beautiful we really are.
This does more than add to our record high of $4 Trillion in consumer debt (Almost $2 T of which is student loan debt, strategically saddled upon future generations… ☹), but it also seeps into the mores of a society – allowing its citizens to inhabit a glamorous, albeit false identity.
When the average college graduate is leaving school with $30k in loans, I think it’s high time we rethink this antiquated system of commercialized education.
Yo.. even the very term consumer makes me cringe.
It’s as if all we are capable of is enjoying the fruits of someone else’s labor.
And, with the increasingly pavlovian commercials I continue to see pumped through our culturally ubiquitous screens, it seems these marketing departments dont think too highly of our decision making abilities.
See, to me…
I think that a much better term to consider, is creator.
Because in each of us lies the potential for great artistic or literary works – unfortunately, some just can’t get around to believing that’s true.
And really, it’s tough to blame them.
With a system that is designed for us to fail, it’s really a miracle that many of us have even made it this far.
Though I think it’s time we begin to take some ownership over our own identities. Because clearly, the powers that be aren’t willing to help us actualize our true selves in any meaningful way.
So... what are you waiting for?
Go.
Write that novel. Compose a symphony. Paint your masterpiece.
Create your magnum opus.
The world is waiting.
Hope to see you at the top.
About the author:
Hello. My name is Toso Mohammed Haruna — or, “Sanni” for the uninitiated. I’m a poet, a writer, a founder, a podcast host …and a follower of Jesus Christ.
Some folks would like me to keep that last part out, but I can’t.
It’s crucial to how I identify and move about in this confusing mess of a world. So, if you’d like to judge, watch, or connect; feel free to do so on either LinkedIn or Twitter. Much love, now and always.
