Identity and Activity

Source: Personal experience

Relation: Personal identity is an extremely important participle of one's culture. Culture is the medium through which Anthropology is studied

It is often touted that one's identity is the result of their past experiences, their opinions, and their physical appearance. But I've come to realize, as I grow older, that it is by a person's actions that he solidifies an identity. Today I went for a ride on my bike, as I do as often as I can. People in cars always glare at cyclists here in Humboldt county, they represent instability, and danger on the road. However, other cyclists would wave and even say hello to me as they passed by. And naturally I found myself associating with the cyclists. I imagined a world in which cyclists and automobile drivers were at war, and I chose the half that pedaled to work. Not only that, but I soon learned to look down on cars and the people who drove them. They were pollutant, obnoxious, and dangerous. The actions and activities that I was taking part in were shifting my personal identity, partly because of how others were perceiving me as I continued said activities I believe this is a common phenomenon.

Drinking, drug-abuse, and drug-dealing are prime examples as well. People drink because they want to "loosen up", and because they want to be perceived as an individual that can have fun. As they continue drinking, they start to believe that they are entertaining, but only with a bottle in hand. Thus their opinion of sober life has lost credibility, and the party-life has been glorified in their minds. Drug-use works much in the same way, except that there are several kinds of drugs, and a drug-user identifies best with people who use the same substances. Soon, people start to believe that themselves. Finally, people who sell drugs do it not only for the money, but because it marks you as a guy who knows people, a resourceful guy who can get what you need, and perhaps most important, it launches you into social situations. Many drug-dealers are social outcasts that seek to wedge their way into complex social dynamics. Once they do, they take on the persona of a businessman, socialite, and tough-guy. And yep, they start to believe it.