What is our IDENTITY?

‘Look at the guy in the Ford that just whizzed by’. ‘Wow, you drive a Polo!’. ‘This Armani shirt looks amazing’. ‘Samsung? No way. It has to be Apple.’

Sounds familiar? This is the truth of today. The identity of the youth is confused with or has been reduced to the names of brands. That is how people identify or classify others. That is how they judge others. An Apple user looks down upon a Samsung user. A colleague (Apple smartphone user) even reacted to a Samsung user as ‘Yuck! This phone is like a muck! Why would someone use it?’. A Maruti Alto is looked down upon, as ‘hardly a car!’ There is no consideration given to the utility or necessity of the object in question to its user. It is all about the brand and the monetary value associated with it that is used to ‘brand’ people. These topics make up for the majority of the tea/coffee and lunch conversations are most of the workplaces today, by the youth. Nowadays, our identity comes from the brands we use, the cars we drive, the clothes that we wear, the applications that we run, the phones that we use, and the assortment of foreign brands that we collect and use! It is borderline fanaticism!

This raises a very pertinent question – what is our identity? Just when these thoughts were reverberating in my head, based on numerous everyday experiences, attitudes of colleagues, other professionals, students, and other youngsters, I experienced divine intervention. As always, my Guru came to my rescue. In a recent spiritual discourse the young spiritual Master, Acharya Ishan Shivanand posed these questions for the benefit of the youth at large. “Who am I? Where do I belong? What do I stand for? Where is my home?” probed the Acharya to the omnipotent Siddha Avdhoota Baba Shivanand Ji.

“Your home is where you want to be. You are 200% life – 100% worldly and 100% spiritual. Your identity is not your clothes. Clothes will fade away; fashion will be lost. Your identity is also not the phone that you use. Cell phone models will be outdated and replaced with newer technology and brands. Your identity is the person using the phones, wearing clothes. You should know what and how to create, what you want to become. And when you become what you want to become, that is your identity. You are the one who has created Apple, Armani, and other brands. Every drop has contributed to becoming an ocean. And if you can create and make these oceans, you can make yourself an ocean too. You are the creator of your own destiny, explains the Siddha.

A person’s identity is her / her personality, the vibrations that we project, our self-confidence, and spiritual powers and potential. Spirituality has no relation to religion. Spirituality is about the Self. It is about unfolding your infinite potential. Our identity will be found only when we awaken the infinite powers that are already embedded in us and form the crux of our human existence. That is why at every stage in life, identity changes. We all constantly evolve. “Till you reach self-realization, identity keeps changing”, reveals the Siddha. In business management terminology, according to Maslow’s theory of the hierarchy of needs, the most basic needs are very physical in nature. These are food, water, shelter, and physical comfort to name a few. As one goes on evolving, the quantity of needs decreases, and the quality increases. With that, a person’s identity keeps on changing.

In this era of marketing, marketers have cleverly ‘created our needs’. Many times people go to supermarkets to shop for specific stuff and end up buying much more than what is required and what was on the original shopping list. Moreover, look at the strategy. The basic utility items are generally placed at the far end corners of the departmental stores. So that people will have to pass by everything else to reach them. In that process, they will be attracted to, inquire about, and buy a lot of things that are not actually required by them. It is human nature. More importantly, that is how marketers have molded human nature!

And these marketers are making people’s identity based on these needs and wants. Being a marketing professional myself, I understand the dynamics and where they are coming from. People have to understand that marketers are paid a lot to analyze, visualize, create, and implement the entire busying and sales process. The aim is revenue generation for corporate organizations. While that is a good marketing strategy, people must not confuse brands with their identity.

It is time that we realize that these products and brands were made to simplify our lives and to provide utility to us. But, in the process what has happened is that we have become a puppet in the hands of marketers. We have ourselves diminished the line between our needs, wants, and requirements and comforts and luxuries. What is worse is that we have absolutely disregarded the distinguishing line between what we and our family needs and what the society expects us to have, to show off.

This transition, though is working in favor of a lot of organizations, who are minting money and doing well. But, it is definitely not doing the people much good, especially the middle-class people, who are the majority. This ‘social competition’ or ‘identity crisis’ has even driven many youngsters to take more loans, work in extra shifts and pick up extra work assignments, to meet the demands of their so-called ‘status’ and ‘identity’. This has led to increased stress levels at and beyond workplaces. As a result, diseases (most are stress-induced), family discords (divorces, separation), alcohol addiction, smoking, and many such vices are spreading like epidemics. That is why the youth is aimless today. That is why there is frustration, jealousy, helplessness, selfishness, addictions, restlessness, anger, and hatred when pushed to extremes. All these come with their extended family of Ego, pride, resentment, superiority/inferiority complexes, and desperation. Crime rates also increase as a result of these happenings.

Is this really how we want to live? Is this the legacy that we want to leave for our children? Is this how and where we want our future generations to be raised?

The solution lies in raising one’s consciousness. This means understanding the true meaning of ‘identity’ and dissociating it with objects, brands, products, and social stigmas. It is about having the strength to realize what is it that we want, where do we really want to go in life and what do we want to achieve. It is about having the guts to say NO to everything else that comes in the way. It is about taking control of one’s life and living our lives in the way that we and our family want to. It is about not letting others decide and dictate our needs, wants, and requirements.

Spirituality helps in achieving all this. It is that beautiful divine hand, which heals the shortcomings and paints a beautiful picture of our lives. It is about connecting with the divine source, where we all came from, and where we will all merge, eventually. It is this connection that makes us unlock our real potential and raise our consciousness. It is only with the divine connection, with pure intention, that we are able to remove the shackles of traditions, orthodox cultures, limiting beliefs, and peer pressure.

Once that is inculcated, a person’s identity is no longer confined to material objects and ‘what will people say?’ Instead, we decide our own identity. That is why spiritual students create the marks that they want, professionals create the salaries that they want and they all achieve that.

“God’s identity is that He is the creator. We are children of God, so that is our identity also. So, the moment that we start creating our lives, situations, circumstances, environments, professions, and success we become the creator. Creation is the source. That is identity. Looks are like a shell, a gift. When you receive a gift, do you savor the wrapping paper? No! You tear it open and dive inside to discover what is inside. What is at the core is most important. Through Shivyog, you awaken your dormant human potential and evoke your hidden powers. That is your real identity”, shares the revered Himalayan saint, Avdhoota Baba Shivanand Ji.

Our Identity, in reality, is that we are all divine creatures, with infinite potential. This is beyond the limitations of the material world, narrow thinking, stubborn approach towards life, and everything else associated. We have 2 options, either to suck into peer pressure and go on living life the way it has been going on till now. Or, decide that we need to change our mindset. It will require a lot of hard work. But once there, it is totally worth it. When we cross the bridge, there is no fear, no apprehension, no complex, no anger, no limitation, no ridicule, no rejection, and no other dark energy. Positivity, if integrated into our thoughts, mind, and lives is like a fresh breath of air that cleans, ventilates, and nourishes the age-old beliefs being carried forward and more created by others.