The Anatomy of Identity
And Embracing Our Shared Existence
Originally written in July of 2021, this essay has been lightly revised as part of an ongoing effort to revisit and refine my thinking.
What do you most identify as? A Woman? A Christian? An Asian? A New Yorker? A Teacher? A Pisces? An Atheist? An Athlete? A Millennial?1 We are each icebergs, a complex geometry submerged beneath perception. But for this essay, consider carefully: Which facet of your identity catches the light, the one you illuminate the most to the vast ocean of people passing through your life?
Over the last few years, we've seen a rise in identity politics — a discussion on how our internal identities shape our beliefs in the world around us. Some criticize this as a poison to society, stating that identity shouldn't be a factor when considering policies. Others, of course, disagree. The problem with either side of the argument is that it forces a binary narrative onto societal issues with little room for nuanced debate. Not all topics are relevant to identity but many are. For example, when examining the political intent in an idea like freedom of speech, identity should not come into the picture; everybody should have this right regardless of their identity. Yet, on the other hand, specific examples and expressions of free speech in action makes identity relevant. If someone incites violence through speech toward a specific group you identify with, you have every right to push back against this expression of it and work towards political solutions to prevent it. This is a big reason why identity politics is so prevalent today, as there is still a lot of work to do in creating freedom and equality for many worldwide. Thus, identity is not so easily dismissed in the practicalities of our existence.
As I continuously write about in this newsletter, humanity is at a tipping point, one that can lead to a future of infinite wonder or one that will end in untimely destruction. The implication of this conundrum then is that I actually most identify as a Homosapien, a human being. Our species is the most advanced on this planet, the most intelligent, the epitome of life in the universe as we know it. We have so much potential, and I emphatically want our species to achieve it. If only we could truly embrace our common humanity and respect our differences in identity. Upon further reflection though, human is an identity with its own biases.
One day while pondering the question of what we most identify as in a group, we initially answered with our religion, nationality, or gender. But then someone said, “Living Being." This answer dismisses a human-centric view, emphasizing the fact that we are only one of the eight million plus species on this planet. And yet, we treat most like they are insignificant, tragically causing many of them to go extinct. Animals feel pain. Have pleasure. Are intelligent. Yet we humans habitually dismiss their interests beneath ours — a bias philosopher Peter Singer calls "speciesism," which he defines as "a prejudice or attitude of bias toward the interests of members of one's own species and against those of members of other species." Yes, we are the most self-aware, but what gives us the right to play judge, jury, and executioner for all of evolution's creation? If aliens came down to visit us and judged us on our ethical stance toward life, what would they say? Would they see our species as benevolent shepherds of life, or ruthless gods indifferent to suffering? As someone who eats meat, I don't feel great about the answer. In addition to animals, bacteria, and plants, there is another emerging candidate for the status of Living Being: artificial intelligence. Some may recoil at AI’s silicon origins as something unnatural; others may think that we can control their lives since we are their creators. If we do these things, we will only be repeating our past mistakes, unable to see past our primary identities to the broader kinship of life.
The point of this is that we all have an identity we most connect with, starting from our immediate family name to things like our nationality. But as we go further up the chain, we get to Living Being. Even Earthing may not be sufficient, as Living Being includes other life in the universe. And why not? Our moral responsibility toward the complexity of life should extend beyond the boundaries of our planet. If we meet friendly aliens, wouldn't we want to be equals with them? Opening our eyes to a wider identity helps us push for equality. We can even see how the march of history is a stepping stone of granting equality to different identity groups. And yet, large identity populations like gender, sexuality, race, and more still do not have equal rights and opportunities. In order to overcome global existential threats like climate change, malevolent AI, nuclear warfare, and more, we must learn to move up the Identity Pyramid and share as much of a bond with Living Beings as we do with the humans we love the most.
I identify with three of these: the place, the sign, the generation.