Who Am I? The Duality  of “I” and “We”

Self Identity and Social Identity,
Who Am I? The Duality  of “I” and “We”

Imagine standing on the edge of a vast ocean, each wave a whisper of who I am. Let me tell you what science says “Who am I”. Physicists would tell you I am just another particle, composed of cosmic dust,  a pebble shaped by the laws of nature, no different from any other object in the universe. Here is how I  explore the Balance Between self Identity and Social Identity.

Yet, science does not know that beneath this physical shell, I am also a river in constant flux, changing with every passing moment, down to the tiniest electron. I am never quite the same “I” you met yesterday is not the same physically,  though I remain undeniably “me.” Biologists see me as a link in the grand chain of life, a carrier of the human gene, an organism alive with the pulse of evolution.

My self Identity and My singularity

The Psychologists, on the other hand, marvel at my singularity, asserting that I am singular in this vast universe— in my physical form, in my biochemistry, and in my behavior. I am as original, and as unique as a snowflake. But they do not know that I am like any other person in a community as a self-similar fractal, that is abundant in nature.

My self Identity and My Social Identity

But sociologists shift the focus. They argue that the most profound aspect of my existence isn’t what sets me apart, but what connects me to others. In this view, the “I” becomes a “we,” a thread woven into the intricate fabric of society. I am a social being, a carrier of shared consciousness, a participant in the dance of cultural revolution. Merging with society doesn’t diminish me; it empowers me, like a fish thriving in water, like a bird soaring in the open sky. When I connect with the whole of humanity, I become more than just myself—I become part of something greater, a social being.

I am like an actor on a stage, donning different costumes and masks, but never truly becoming the roles I play. I remain the true player, the real actor behind the masks. I am the sole custodian of my “I-ness,” and without this uniqueness, society would lose its sanity.

Let me introduce my Self. I am what I am. I am irreducible, indivisible, irreplaceable and a non-transferable being. There is no one like me in the whole world; physiologically, genetically and behaviorally.

In fact, I exist in three dimensions: “I,” “we,” and “me.” Each domain of science tries to dissect a piece of me, but no science can capture my essence entirely. I am not just an object to be studied but a subject, a mystery that eludes all attempts at full understanding. I am a particle and a wave simultaneously. In essence, there is no conflict between “I” and “we” or “I” and “me.” Just as a single candle can light many others without losing its flame, I can merge into “we” without losing my individuality. The “me” is simply one reflection of “I,” shaped by the social roles I play but never fully subsumed by these.

However, my greatness, my dignity, my self-respect is not liked by all. The organized religions and absolutist political ideologies like Leninism, Stalinism, etc., strive to rob me from my “I-ness”, my individuality, my autonomy, my creativity, my intellect.

They seek to define me, dissect me and reduce my individuality into its attributes: human being, a Kashmiri, an Indian, an Asian, an Aryan, member of a social class, etc. They tear me apart by juxtaposing one of my attributes with the other as if these are inherently hostile to each other. They treat my individuality as a public property and mortgage it to a particular collectivity. By getting dissected, I cease to be a holistic being and become a clone. This impovershes me spiritually and culturally. Unilaterally they decide how much “uniqueness” should I share with my fellow beings and how much should I remain my self, leaving no room for any creativity and autonomy.

They force “me” to completely submerge into “we”; I become a pauper by this abject surrender. This is being done through authoritarian child rearing practices, parenting, schooling, and unilateral control of all interpersonal communication in society and through other social practices. When I become their mental slave, they become my masters and preceptors. I see the reality through their eyes. I cease to be myself and a social actor. They do things through me. My abject surrender, my losing of individuality and creativity does not enrich and benefit society. This makes society a herd of sheep down grading it to the level lower than that of sub human primates.

My Social identity is My Mask

I am like an actor on a stage, donning different costumes and masks, but never truly becoming the roles I play. Whether I act as “me” or “we,” I remain the true player, the real actor behind the scenes and masks. My self identity cannot be transferred, diluted, or delegated. I am the sole custodian of my “I-ness,” and without this uniqueness, society would lose its sanity. My self identity and social identity are not the same.

Yet, these forces conspire to strip me of my uniqueness. Organized religions and political ideologies often seek to define, dissect, and reduce me to a set of labels—Indian, Asian, Muslim, member of a social class or identities. These labels tear at the fabric of my individuality, turning me into a clone, and robbing me of my spiritual and cultural richness. They demand that I surrender my “I-ness” to the collective “we,” but this surrender doesn’t enrich society; it impoverishes it, reducing it to a herd of sheep led by shepherds who claim divine authority.

These ideologies, born from the brutal suppression of past uprisings, preach human impotence in the face of social forces, offering divine saviors as our only hope. But in reality, they facilitate the exploitation of human labor, keeping the oppressed in chains. A hierarchy of self-proclaimed leaders emerges to maintain this status quo, treating humanity as nothing more than a flock to be controlled and oppressed.

These ideologies teach impotence of man in face of the social forces and indispensability of divine saviors, in the changing present state of affairs. In practice these facilitate “rape of human labour” and subjugation of the oppressed. A battery of pimps has risen to sell the dreams of these saviors. They do it by winning hearts and minds of people with the deceptive communication and by putting in place a grand coalition that operates in the society through father (pita) and husband (pati) in a family, teacher/guru in a school, village head in a village, clerics in a Mosque/temple and church, “responsible” chairman in a absolutist party, head of state in a nation, head of global order in community of nations.

But I resist. hereby I proclaim, I am not what others say I am. I am like water, capable of filling any container but never becoming the container itself. I play the roles assigned to me, but I remain the true self beneath the masks. I am a project, a process, a striving towards a goal. I alone define and set goals for myself. I create, choose, and shape myself, always seeking to transform others and willing to be transformed.

Ultimately, I am a vector in the vast space of existence, always moving, always searching for the limits of my being, and always striving to overcome them. And in this struggle, I find my true essence—a being in flux, ever-changing, ever-growing, and always true to the deepest core of who I am.