Original: Contemplating the idea of personal character
Paraphrased: Examining the concept of self-identity
What makes me unique from all others? This is the question that philosophers often ask about personal identity. This is a question that is related to life and death. It is possible to answer this question by deciding on the changes that a person can make to their identity without ever reaching the end. Some questions about our existence include: Is there life after death? Who are I? These changes are what make survival possible. To distinguish them, we need a basis for personal identity that is given over time.
The dictionary defines identity as the characteristics that define who or what someone or something is. My personal definitions of identity are similar to the dictionary, but they reflect what distinguishes each person. My identity is affected a lot by my family, religion and cultural heritage as well as the people I know. All of these factors are important for different people, but I find my family and friends to be the most important. Because you spend nearly every day with your siblings and parents, they have the greatest impact on you. I have learned everything from my parents. My family is the best place to get to know me. They make me happier, faster, calmer, better and more happy. Because they let me be myself and don’t make me feel like I will be disliked, I know I am a better person. They will be there to help me achieve my goals because they have a sibling who I can compete with. It helps me to keep my mind focused and reminds me how important my future is. My friends are similar to this group. They influence almost all of my activities. They influence my behaviour in many ways. My interests are centered around computers and games. I was inspired to study information technology at college, and have since applied for computer science.
They also influence my behavior. This is because we share so much of our time together that we often copy and challenge one another to reach the same goals. Religion, while it is a factor that does not affect my behavior, can have a significant impact on others. Even though I believe in science, that would be the only way to do so. Since childhood, my family was Buddhist. I have only experienced this when I am visiting Taiwan because that is the country where my family lives. My entire family is Taiwanese. All of us speak Mandarin. I don’t feel this has a significant impact on me, as my family is not very traditional and many holidays are difficult for us to celebrate. My lifestyle is quite different from that of many South Africans. This has affected how I behave. Many experiences have taught me a lot. Because of the many lessons I have learned, it is difficult for me to list them all. The most important lessons I have learned from my life are what I want to share. It is up to you to learn from your many experiences. Every lesson could have a different moral. For example, you might not regret something or think that everyone around you is selfish. These are just a few of the many ways that a person can have their identity altered or created. These things affect everyone, regardless of whether they know it.
Personal identity can be a complicated topic as many factors can have an impact on who you are. My personal identity is based on my soul, ability to make memories and consciousness.