IDENTITY CRISIS IN 21ST CENTURY
In a world where performance is exceeding everything; lot of times we find ourselves out of place. Today; important itself has become urgent and body language is getting haste. Life is revolving around weight gain and weight loss. Slowly and slowly simple things are becoming complex. Accent in communication is sounding above the content. Brand consciousness is becoming more relevant than self consciousness. Above all social networking is defining the state of relationship. It’s a sign of growth or structural downfall of civilized society. We need to explore...
From school to institution and institution to workplace this question keeps on haunting us i.e. what I am mean for? Where I am heading? What is my right field? And the big question what my Identity is?
We as an individual most of the time try to find the answer by our designations and academic achievements. We never miss to make our networking a case of identity. In schools children find the answer through product and percentage. Parents reciprocate the same. This turns into crisis till the time we pass out from institutions. Our degrees become an issue of boast if the placement defines CTC. Simultaneously; it turns into agony if it only defines CTC. As a manager this crisis becomes graver. We identify more easily with the metaphor Boss and hate to be called supervisors. When we move up in the ladder no of subordinates and cubical chambers make us identical. At the time of retirement the money and after the forgotten stories fetch our sub consciousness with an image of gloomy identity.
Men or Women both are suffering from this identity crisis. Either home or work place an Indian women everyday faces this identity crisis. Her role keep on changing but sometimes she also wishes to look herself beyond a wife, mother or daughter. She wishes to give her life an independent identity. However; most of the time it results into a case of superiority or inferiority.
This identity crisis has affected the nature of human relationship. Everybody wants to be independent now. We don’t wish to take suggestions even. The communication in family is more tilted towards me rather than US. Marital constraints are result of the same. Parents are communicating more consciously with children. Father and Mother in their old age are getting treated more like non performing assets. They keep on watching the downfall of their basic identity. Crisis deepens.
College going boys and girls identify themselves with so called others. They are not sure who the right friend is and who is not. Parameter of friendship is more understood by no of parties and commutation mode. This in turn affects their habits and finally their identification mode switches towards brand focused habits - smoking and drinking.
They seem more confused in terms of career and relationship. They don’t even wish to think but love to copy and paste. As we know that one will have to be tech-savvy to succeed in this century. They behave in the same way. Laptop and other gadgets make them a complete personality. They can move without parents but can’t move without friends and credit cards. Guys from small cities try to define their identity in metros by fast moving friendship and other useless habits .Ultimately; they end up no where.
As Aristotle has correctly said, “We are what we repeatedly do.” Our new habits of social identity are making things worse. We have become more reactive and less patient in last decade. We don’t want teachers but trainers. Knowledge is secondary now for us as skill building has become primary. So those teachers who have always believed in learning and imparting the best of knowledge to youth are missing. Their basic identity is becoming vague. Either corporate or institution; learning and development activities had found back seat or a fun activity. Now days this has become so complex that knowledge is conveyed mockingly i.e. Gyan Baatna.
Right knowledge and Real Guru will take us from identity ignorance. We as a teacher will have to take our work to the ultimate height of enlightment. It is the right education and right intention for education that will honor the society and nation craving for a self identity. Institutions need to be less glamorous and more genuine. Teachers understand first their role before being based on Role Play. Students need to trust on memory more than PPT Slides.
We can only come out from this identity crisis if the youth of today will go to the basics. They will have to understand that any society goes towards identity crisis if values and ethics are forgotten. Relationships need to be redefined in terms of INNER CIRCLE & OUTER CIRCLE. Our inner circle stands for those people who understand us and outer circle is a circle where rest of the people rest. Therefore we will find one or two individual in our Inner Circle because this is the circle of understanding. As our blood relationship is by default in Inner Circle so it is not counted. We have to see ourselves and ask that who those individuals who truly understand us are. If a few we will never have an identity crisis in terms of relationship. Wrong people need to be sent into Outer circle where we are not Emotional but Emotionally Intelligent. This clarity in relationship will give us wisdom and rationalize our identity.
Our identity will be more clear and sharp if we will do what we love to do. We must have a social goal in life. History always remembers deeds and not the richer or richest. So it is must to have a work is worship approach.
It is not the economic crisis but the identity crisis that needs an attention. Even economic crisis was the result of human greed and selfishness. Professionals in West were very keen to upgrade their professional identity by getting more and more bonuses and at the fast pace. The result we are aware of. Human identity is never answered in GDP and GNP. It is with with humanity.
We need to see the things from a soul searching perspective. We need to give a meaning to our day to day activities. We don’t need to be too much diplomatic in appreciating others. Just simple and straight. Our identity will be not our achievement but the way we have approached our goal in life; not networking but an understanding of few. May be I am sounding idealistic but we have to accept that identity is nothing without ideals.
Let’s hope the world will begin thinking and invest some time on Identity Crisis too.
Dr. Nanditesh Nilay
Hony Secretary ,ISTD Delhi Chapter
Director(TraNc)
training@tranc.co.in,nanditeshnilay@yahoo.co.in,nanditeshnilay@tranc.co.in
www.tranc.co.in
