Identity

The title of Emily's post made me think about identity. Especially about how we define ourselves and try to figure out who or what we want to become. College is all about exploring new ideas, separating yourself from your family and having that chance to start over. It is a chance for people to redefine themselves. But with this development of identity comes a kind of conformity. You walk into an environmental studies class and most people are wearing Carhartts and patagonia. Walk into a Government class and you'll see a lot more polos. And then there are the people that try to stand out, that try to defy social norms, but in a sense they too are conforming to a group of people doing the exact same thing. There is nothing wrong with this conformity; it is in our human nature to want to find a place, a sense of belonging, an acceptance from people with similar ideas, dreams, aspirations. But in this search for acceptance, for a place, do we lose a sense of who we truly are? Would we dress this way, act this way, think this way, if we were by ourselves with only our own minds to influence us? Who are we really?