The Secrets to Our Identity - Mind, Work, State of Being
What makes us who were are?
What makes us who we are?
The question about our identity has been around for a very long time and is mostly unanswered. When people ask you who you are you mostly reply with your name. Something that your parents gave you.
Or you tell them what you do for work, how you make your money — but is that who you are?
As you can tell, it’s a difficult question.
Is there an answer?
Who are we?
“The soul takes nothing with her to the next world but her education and culture. At the beginning of her journey to the next world, the soul’s chief concern is with her true identity.”
— Plato (The Republic)
Beautifully described by Plato, but we don’t get any further in our quest to find the meaning of our identity. The only thing we can derive from it is that all material possessions on earth are irrelevant.
Education and culture is what our soul consists of.
Yet, we’re living in a world that is continuing and developing to be one where material possessions and capital remain very important for us — it’s a way of defining our status. Without possessions, you are less valued by society.
As Karl Marx said: “The worker is nothing more than a machine for the production of surplus value, and his value is measured by the amount of capital he can generate.”
The capitalist world depends on the workers but also exploits them. They are only relevant if they can generate capital for them but the workers don’t gather any capital themselves.
If you’re just working, what is your identity? You’re not a worker, you are a human being with interests, skills, desires, and things that make you unique.
People tend to focus on work more than on happiness — luckily we see a trend that is shifting. Gen Z’ers are concerned about their mental health (as they should), but there must be a balance.
The best would be to find a balance between making your money, being good for society, and finding happiness — which sounds an awful lot like how Ikigai works.
This Japanese way of living promotes aligning all 4 core elements you need in life:
The things you love (love)
The things that make money (vocation)
The things that you are passionate about (passion)
The things that are good for the world (ethics)
If you have those on the same line, you’re living your best life and you’ve likely found your Ikigai.
One of the great lovers of this lifestyle/philosophy is Steve Jobs, the creator and late founder of Apple.
He said the following thing about work:
“The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.”
So if even one of the greatest and most creative businessmen in the world tells you to go for doing work that you love, and don’t settle for less, it might be true and you should.
“Man sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.”
— Dalai Lama
Don’t destroy your life working all day and don’t enjoy the beautiful things that are visible but are not seen by many of us.
Don’t get in a car for a 5-minute ride, walk.
Don’t get on a plane for a 30-minute flight, go by train and enjoy the views.
Don’t be stuck to your phone screen when walking outside, take a look around.
Don’t be rushed, value the time you have.
These are all simple but important substitutions that you can make to increase your amount of happiness and improve your state of being — it’s not easy to be happy all the time and you can’t be.
But it’s something you should strive for.
It’s all in your mind. You can control what your thoughts do, and it’s best to exclude external factors — especially those you cannot control.
Marcus Aurelius: “The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.”
And he’s right.
Just like all the other topics he wrote about in his “Meditations” book — it’s not worth spending your day worrying about the things you have no control over.
If you have control, act on it, and otherwise don’t mention it. It’s not your problem anymore.
Even if you think you do, you don’t so let it be.
Be peaceful.
Be at peace.
Have peace of mind.
