The novelist Ralph Ellison wrote in ‘Invisible Man’: “When I discover who I am, I’ll be free.” There is much wisdom in that short quote; it takes seriously the work of discovery and the individual nature of that quest.
Identity is important It gives us a sense of well-being and self worth; it celebrates our uniqueness. It is also inextricably linked to how we find and express meaning and purpose in our lives.
Lutheran Minister, Theologian and anti-Nazi activist, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, expressed the contradiction that we often find at the heart of our identity in his poem ‘Who Am I?’ At the end he finds his answer: ‘Who am I? They mock me, these lonely questions of mine.
Whoever I am, Thou knowest, O God, I am thine!’
Logotherapy & Existential Analysis is a therapeutic approach that allows and promotes self-discovery in each individual. Each journey is unique.
In this short video I explore some of the issues surrounding identity and why it’s important in our lives:
