National Identity

NATIONAL IDENTITY

[adjective]

(1) Relating to or characteristic of a nation; common to a whole nation.

Every person on this planet has a unique identity. It’s what makes them different from the rest of the world. What you are, nobody else is. A lot of factors play a part in building your identity and I believe your nationhood is one of them. My past, my upbringing, my culture, and my country – all these helped me become the person I am today. Popular culture today brings an uncalled pressure amongst youths to copy the trending culture and, in the process, lose the essence of their own identity. At some point in our lives, all of us have faced the pressure to fit in, to be accepted and liked by the many instead of the singular. But as we grow, we learn and begin to respect who we are and what we are. Changing who you are as a person and uprooting your identity just to fit in is not fair play.

Everyone is different and that’s what makes them who they are. I came all the way from India to experience new things: learn new things, see new things. What would the fun be if everyone was just trying to be like one another? It’s the differences that draw us together, not the similarities. Mingling and mixing with people from other cultures serves as an opportunity to learn about the geography, religion and customs of different countries that shape the people in our lives into who we know them to be.

It’s heart warming to see people appreciate my national attire whenever I wear it in London. It’s equally reciprocated: I love when people share something new about their culture that otherwise I would have never known. It’s the cultural exchange that brings us closer. I love how I can speak my own language, Hindi, in addition to English, how I can wear my own style of clothes other than Western wear, how I can watch and appreciate both Bollywood and Hollywood movies. It makes me feel special. Why be one of the million when you can be one in a million?

I understand how cultural pride can be misunderstood for nationalism. The question lies in how insistent must we be about ethnic pride? Should we screech from the gables that “We are the supreme, the best, the greatest,” always wearing our culture as a badge of supremacy and pride? Or, in its place, with modesty and self-assurance, allow it to show in our engagements and achievements? I think we all know the answer to this.

In today’s world if we were all able to uphold our own identity whilst knowing, appreciating and respecting other cultures, life would mean more and become more valuable for most of us. We would learn and absorb good practices from each other. I believe by discovering and accepting our own self through our nationhood we will begin to see the world from an individual lens, not only giving us the much needed perspective of life but also enriching the whole experience.