How Struggles Shape People's Identity

Identity is a complex and not all too well known thing. A person’s identity makes up who they are, how they act, and what they think. Every person’s identity is individual in that it is like no other, somewhat like snowflakes. And just like how all snowflakes have been through different things, people and, by extension, their identity have been through their own situations and struggles. And what this person has been throughs, particularly the struggles, has changed them a lot. One’s identity is shaped by struggles by opening new opportunities, building life skills, and helping one learn about him or herself. The first way in which identity is shaped by one’s struggles is by opening new opportunities. Identities are ever changing and revising,

How you do things is a large part of your identity, and with new ways to do stuff, a person’s identity can become more individual in the fact that people have more preferences to choose from. Compared to the early 90’s when there were only a few cell phones to choose from, there are now hundreds. Arguments such as Apple v.s. Android are examples of the fact that people’s identities are now more defined and individual with these new choices. A larger yet more basic example of this is found in the ancient civilization of Mesopotamia. Over a thousand years ago, Mesopotamia was struggling to deal with the massive floods that ravaged their lands and cities. Eventually, through this struggle, they learned irrigation, solving their problem and building skills that would last for hundreds of years. This is a massive change of identity, as the Mesopotamians did something so intuitive and made it such a big part of their lives that it is still talked about in history courses today. The fact that one of the first civilizations was able to deal so well with this problem is not only an astounding feat of mechanics, but also development of identity through