Q: What were your impressions of the first class? Are we our Name, our Family, our Sex, our Nationality or our Location? If not, then what is responsible for our identity? Do we have an identity apart from our community?
A: My impressions of the first class were very good; I liked the discussion we had and how it got carried out, and it seems like this will be an interesting class for me.
I don't believe we ARE our name etc etc, but that all those things can CONTRIBUTE to who we become (to some undefined and dependent extent). For example, just because of my name, or the fact that I live on Cape Cod, or because of who my family is, that doesn't mean I HAVE TO/ AM going to turn into a certain person or do certain things. BUT because of my specific gender, I have certain hormones which can affect the way i think, feel, and am, etc. And because I have been raised in my specific family, I have been taught and raised to think and act in specific ways. While I can still choose to go against what my family or local community has taught me, all those things have a big impact on my life and who I am as a person. With nationality, it can cause a person to have certain physical traits and appear a certain way, which could lower their self esteem if they don't like their appearance, or could cause others to exhibit racism and prejudice, which couldin turn limit the individual's opportunities and life path. But I think it's a little too forward to say we ARE our nationality.
I think our identity is a result of our genetic makeup, life and the things we encounter, and the individual spirit that was created in each of us.
To be honest, I'm not exactly sure what the question about identity apart from community means, but I'll attept to answer it as best I can. Our community is another factor that shapes who we are, but we are separate from it and can choose to be different if we want to.