Parents need to do more to uphold their identities and keep their place as Guardians, carers, and most of all role models, not only to their children but also to the entire society. This has become increasingly important because the impact of good parenting is gradually fading out of our entire system and forcing us to seek replacements and other derivatives.
It is now so prevalent to have parents entrust so much autonomy in their kids, as regards the duties and responsibilities of managing their affairs, thereby systematically shifting roles and concerns on the grounds that liberty be granted to all and forgetting that there is a natural course for parentage.
It is high time we realized that it is better to be known for something than unknown for nothing, even though being known positively should always be our aim. Upholding our individual identities help us stand out among the crowd and make us represent our beliefs, ideas, philosophies, cultures and every other factor that helps us be who we are meant to be.
An individual without an identity is like a river without a bank and as such, flows without directions. When we create our identities or carve a niche for ourselves, we will be able to defend our life patterns, or the way we do other things or even speak up about the perception of people about us. When an individual or a family has and uphold an identity, it differentiates such people from the lots who cannot emancipate themselves from physical and psychological oppression and slavery, thereby promoting their mental dependence and psychological autonomy.
The way we exhibit our identities will be portrayed in our daily lives and how we respond and relate to events around us. What this piece aims to say is, as a result of not being able to carve an identity for ourselves, we tend to look at the society and take a cue from what goes on and around us, without carefully considering the impacts on our individual whole and this is the reason the society largely suffers from massive levels of social vices that distorts economic, environmental, physical and psychological growth.
It is extremely important for us to examine our different situations and sift the odds that we ordinarily would not like to live with, save for societal pressure or pressure we have imposed on ourselves because of our inability to hold on to our specifics as a result of our desire to belong to a larger community, where its excesses surpass our desires as families.
Reasons why people cannot hold on to some personal inclinations, values or beliefs is because a lot of us cannot rule a line between our individual needs and requirements as regards to what we want to be identified with or who we want to be identified as, and where we want to belong in the society and to a large extent that has been as a result of the following:
– Fear of criticism
– Fear of isolation
– Lost values and beliefs
– Misplaced priorities
– Inferiority complex
– Unnecessarily being a copycat.
These are some of the reasons why some people cannot just be themselves. It is just as important as having to live, that we carve a niche for ourselves where ever we find ourselves and be known for something good. Some people might ask what my criteria for goodness are, but I am sure we all know that undue bloodletting, is not good, for example, as in the case of youthful exuberance ( gangsters).
Generally, we hide under acts of rights, and legislation to perpetrate acts that our body, soul and mind negate and conscientiously ignore the impacts. We all know it when we wrong ourselves but the responses to such actions vary largely. This is but for emphasis.
We should always spell out our principles at home, office, in the society and everywhere we touch. Lacking confidence and inability to stand up for our moral beliefs will only make one look and feel intimidated by the wave and rave of the passing time.