My husband, my mom and I were fortunate enough to watch a production of Fiddler on the Roof last week. I was surprised by my emotional reaction to the play.
One of the things I thought about afterwards was what a gift it is to have a strong sense of identity. In the play, the characters’ identities were firmly rooted in family, community, tradition and faith.
I thought about how far we have strayed from that model. I considered my own sense of identity and was reminded that I did have one as a kid growing up in Europe; I was an American.
I was part of a small, but highly recognizable, group and there was an automatic sense of belonging and of kinship- even with people you didn’t know but just happened to see, or hear, in a restaurant or on the train.
I still can tap into that bond today, even though I live in the United States.
A sense of identity and belonging is profoundly important, and it is never too late to establish.
Where is your identity rooted?
New York. I am firmly a New Yorker, and an American.
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I was raised with a strong sense of identity to family, church, school, and country. I’m sorry for those who do not have that basic foundation to grow on. I have known people who find a great sense of identity in being a Christian and seeing other Christians as family as made possible by a knowledge that God is the Father of us all.
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My identity is first and foremost found in Christ. I didn’t become a Christian until I was an adult, but being part of God’s family is everything to me.
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