Under the communist rule of the Mao Government in the 1960’s, my father was denied the right to receiving an education for two years. Despite this tragic turn of events in his life, he did not allow his impoverished background to dictate his future and instead made his way to a medical school in the bustling city of Guangzhou. His story reveals to me that, although there are many variables and challenges that we will encounter in life, it is about how to respond and cope with unestimated changes, that will decide our identity and assist us to grow. Individuals should learn to adapt the change of environment, as well as confront different situations when they arise in order to learn and develop their identity. However, it would be remiss to neglect that we may lose our sense of self in the shifting landscapes around us.
Our sense of identity is strengthed through adapting to the changing environment. At a point in life, every individual is likely to move from one place to another; whether it is moving houses, schools or even countries. When this happens, it is essential that we embrace the new environment as well as being able to make connections with people that we are unfamiliar with. Simone Lazaroo in ‘The Asian Disease’ from Growing Up Asian in Australia describes how newer immigrants “mowed their lawns” and “learned how to barbecue sausages”, reasoning that “we come to Australia, we must learn to be Australian”, thus confirming how migrants have to get used to the lifestyles and the culture that they are surrounded by in order to fully assimilate into the distinct country and gain a sense of belonging. Similarly a person can feel empowered by accepting the change of relationships. When I first came to Australia four years ago, the fear of the unfamiliar environment had overwhelmed me so much that I almost cried myself to sleep everynight. I was not until I took my first step to develop new friendship with my classmates and neighbours that I once again realised life was interesting and hopeful. Indeed, there are times that we need to embrace the new landscape around us and be able to associate others as a means to develop and fulfill our sense of self. Furthermore, one should accept unexpected challenges and find ways to resolve them when they occur in life. There can be many situations that threaten our sense of identity: how others forge a prejudicial view on us, the inability to fit in and belong, or even a natural disaster that falls upon us. In 2011, when the Queensland flood struck disaster, all members of Australia joined forces and offered their aid and support. More than 55,000 volunteers registered to clean up the streets of Brisbane. Politicians, world leaders, opponents and people from all over the nation were united in a rare moment, due to the commonality inherent in human nature – the capacity for empathy. Perhaps it takes calamity or adversity to teach us the things that we should have already learned, driving us to accept these new challenges and changes and search for solutions to overcome them. Likewise, Simone Lazaroo’s father armed himself with tokens of respectability with his “BBC accent and [his] new car” against the Perth police who were contemptuous of his dark skin. Despite the society’s preconceptions and assumptions of our true self, we should all be able to assert ourselves as self integrity is more important than prejudice. Hence, it is only through conquering new challenges and difficulties that we have not encountered before, that our identity can be shaped and completed.
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