Author: Marta Vukić, OŠ Trnsko, Zagreb
When we say identity, the first thing that we think of is identity written down with no emotions, just as an identity card, but is that correct and only definition of identity?
Well, no. Identity is not only your day of birth, nationality, photograph and your name. And that is our second definition of identity. Our qualities and our character with no officially recorded data.
Identity, as described in the first definition, can be seen by everybody and unfortunately identity, as described in the second definition, can be seen only after knowing a person for three years. Even then some people still don’t understand and know each other well. That is just sad, that we don’t even want to know each other better or as the most often excuse, we don’t have time. If you ask me, each identity is unique and identities can’t be replaced or twisted.
They can be similar in any definition and even if you have twins of a same name, nationality and look you will still know who is who by fingerprint. And it seems that we have everybody on our list that exist. As I said, it seems. Now let me ask you a question. All of you. If a child in Africa doesn’t have the identity card or there is no record of its existence does that mean that the child is not alive and that it has no identity? Now let’s go back to the beginning, all of you that think that our first definition is correct and only correct think about how would you feel if you were that child in Africa and that somebody tells you that you have no identity?
Sad. Insulted. Discriminated just because you’re poor. Isolated. And even angry. You would stop for a second and think, what is wrong with all of the people on the Earth that had thought of that kind of determinating identity. Unfortunately, lots of people in poor countries don’t have identities. We should not worry or argue about what identity is because that makes us spoild kids, some people don’t even have identity. Like two little children fighting about the toy and the third little kid with no toy, watches us two fighting about one toy, when we can all share it. And what if we take the second definition as a correct, too. Then a kid would have identity, nevertheless it would be happy.
It would know that it is special because it likes to play drums or it likes to speak, to calculate, to draw, to dance, to act, to learn,…,or to help others. If so, everybody would have identity and somebody will always know about somebody others identity. Then everybody would feel special because everybody is special, on its own way. So, all of you that thought of identity as an identity card or something similar, I hope I changed your opinion or at least tried to open your eyes.
As I said at the beginning I believe more in a second definition of identity. So here’s my identity: I play the piano, draw, photograph, dance, debate. Calculate and write. With writing this paragraph or easy I just added I knew thing on my identity card. Writing in English.
