Human Emphasis on Identity

 

Identity is a question that constantly eludes and baffles humanity. This internal conflict represents something that distinguishes humans from other life forms. Not to say that dogs and trees don't have identities, but from my personal experience they don't seem worry too much about existential matters. However, from each spatial and temporal location the issue of identity has troubled mankind. To the point of absurdity, every culture consults scholars and expert sources to determine what it means to be human. A wonderfully surreal, not to mention true, example of this would be the current social environment in China. A former history professor of mine was called to be the keynote speaker at a symposium on Chinese culture and identity in Beijing and Shanghai a few months back. My former professor happens to be one of the foremost authorities on German philosophy and culture. As China is moving from Communism to a more relaxed state, the citizens of China are facing with an identity crisis of sorts. In the past few decades the government abolished religious worship and abandoned historical doctrines. Communist ideals and patriotism replaced individualized and esoteric rituals. Now that the nation has started to reject the Communist mentality, they must decide whether or not to resurrect old cultural values, such as Confucianism, or look to other cultures as inspiration for creating a new order. The Chinese, respecting the order and asceticism of German culture, asked my professor to inform and guide them through this ongoing process. It came to the point that the common language shared between my American professor and his Chinese counterparts was German. In this case, the almost ludicrous distinction and importance that mankind attributes to identity was certainly apparent. Instances of similar magnitude continue to occur throughout the world, especially in this age of globalization. In an era when a person from across the world can communicate instantaneously with someone from another country in a different timezone, the divides between ethnicities and cultures grows ever thinner. Many Western countries feel the poignancy of this universality, as the global community looks to affluent countries to not only guide the way, but also intervene around the world in times of upheaval. As global citizens begin to speak the same language through technology and education, homogenization creates an abundance of issues relating to identity. This has brought about a sort upsurge in the study of social sciences, politics, and diplomacy as nation borders fade with the creation and proliferation of the Internet.