Who am I?

Who am I?
Uday Dandavate
January 29, 2007

In her article, “Our million Prejudices”, which has appeared in the Indian
Express of January 26th Farah Baria, suggests, “Racism has always
exemplified the dark side of human nature. In fact, the history of the world is
nothing but the history of prejudice: wars have been fought, empires built
and nations forged by the very human need for superiority and ethnic
supremacy.” Though the provocation for this article was a recent
controversy over the racist treatment meted out to an Indian member of a
British reality show, the article bypasses an important issue that must be
addressed. Though it is true that prejudices are the symptoms that have grave
ramifications for the future of world peace, to understand the root cause of
much of the prejudice worldwide it is important to understand issues of
identity.

Human beings are a cultural species. Our sense of identity is defined by our
sense of affiliation to a group of people, region, ideas or ideologies. We
differentiate ourselves from other human beings and from other living
species by comparing and contrasting our identities with those of others. Dr.
B. R. Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian constitution once said, “Unlike a
drop of water which loses its identity when it joins the ocean, man does not
lose his being in the society in which he lives. Man's life is independent. He
is born not for the development of the society alone, but for the development
of his self.”
Abraham Maslow, the famous American psychologist who is noted for
proposing hierarchy of human needs and theory of self-actualization also
suggests that issues of identity are intricately linked to an individual’s sense
of who he or she can be. Maslow suggests, “A musician must make music,
an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with
himself. What a man can be, he must be.” In his essay, The Farther Reaches
of Human Nature, Maslow also proposed that people who have reached self-
actualization, the highest level in the hierarchy of human needs, will
sometimes experience a state of transcendence, in which they become aware
of not only their own fullest potential, but the fullest potential of human
beings at large. The problem the world faces today is that people who are
fighting cultural wars have been denied the opportunity to engage in ideas
that give them a positive sense of connection to the future and their role in it.
As a result, a very large population around the world is experiencing a sense
of conflict, despair, prejudice, and discrimination. Terrorism and wars are
only symptoms of this milieu.

I often wonder, “Who am I?” where does my sense of identity come from? Is
it possible to build a society that is free from prejudice and discrimination? I
was fortunate to have been born in a family that was focused on future; to
have grown up with people who fought the designs of the traditionalists and
fundamentalists; to have chosen the profession of design, which is about
change and about improving the quality of life for ordinary people. I am
very enthusiastic about the fact that connectivity has made information more
accessible to people, and that there is a growing awareness about citizens’
right to information. I feel very privileged to be living at a time when I can
dare to dream about the future with optimism.
My sense of identity comes from different levels of connections to different
ideas and entities. I am proud of my native language Marathi and of the
wealth of knowledge and insights about the world I have gained from
Marathi literature. I am proud of my family, especially their commitment to
social reforms. I am proud to be an Indian, especially at a time when Indians
are attracting the attention of the world with their intellectual and
entrepreneurial contribution. My experience as a researcher of people,
cultures and trends has cultivated in me a sense of being a global citizen and
my connection to humanity. I am very curious about the principles of nature
and feel that the human race needs to respect our responsibility in preserving
the ecological balance. My connection to the future is greater than my pride
in my past. I am inspired more by ideas than by ideologies. My actions are
driven more by a desire for harmony than by a focus on my destiny. I do
believe that the freedom from prejudice is possible if we educate people
about multiple levels of identities we must live and teach them to feel
optimistic about the future. The world will then be a better place.
Charles F. Kettering, an engineer, a social philosopher and an inventor
said,
“We should all be concerned about the future
because we will have to spend the rest of our lives
there.”