In my last blog, I discussed personal identifications and how they mold our minds over time, opining that a sane response to the collective paralysis we witness within our world is to honestly assess our own identifications and the ways they influence our behavior. In pursuing such a course, one begins to take a more conscious approach to life, unlearning things they once took for granted. But how exactly does one undertake such an endeavor? I suppose there are as many answers as there are people walking the planet. But for my part, I started at the beginning, drawing on available sources of knowledge, as well as practicing a deeper relationship with my own intuition. 

As I navigate a culture evermore consumed by identification - be it identity politics, nationalism, scientism, or religious affiliation - I consider how my own life has benefited from peeling away such identifications. Strange as it may sound, I wonder if identification has become the enemy in modernity, and disidentification a misunderstood ally. In modern day America, personal identity has emerged as a central theme, becoming firmly entrenched within our society. When viewed through the lens of the natural world, this is no surprise. After all, birds of a feather do flock together. Yet, despite their commonalities, flocking birds do not make it their goal to eliminate competing commonalities, but rather, gracefully hold their own identifications as sacred while coexisting within a diverse ecosystem of co-identifications. These days, it seems as though we could learn a few things from the birds.