Being Myself Without Fear: Identity, Personal Diversity, and Self-Esteem
Almost all of us have felt, at some point, the desire to fit in. We want to be accepted, to belong to a group, and to feel that we are not rejected or seen as strange. But sometimes, in order to be accepted, we begin to hide important parts of ourselves. We silence our opinions, hide our talents, change the way we act, or try too hard to look like everyone else. Today, we will talk about identity and personal diversity, not to say that being ourselves will always be easy, but to remember that we do not need to become a copy of anyone else in order to have value. What Is Identity? Identity responds to a very deep question: what makes someone who they are? It does not refer only to a name, an age, or the place where someone lives, but to everything that gradually defines their individuality: history, values, interests, talents, dreams, relationships, beliefs, culture, roles, ways of thinking, feeling, learning, and relating to others. The roles we play in life are also part of identity. ...