Words that caught me: S is for "Self-Identity'
There
is no denying
That
COVID-19 has hastened
A
number of social shifts,
That
were already underway
In our
society.
Before
COVID, there was already talk
About
increasing life expectancy and its consequences,
Changes
in perceptions and priorities
Of
legions of young people,
The
advent of ‘New Work’,
Problems
in education,
Rising
inequality,
‘New
Capitalism’ and more others.
Many experts
saw these trends and predicted
An
ongoing transformation in how we live
And
see ourselves.
Rising
incidences of
Mental
health issues,
Gender
Violence,
And student
unrests
Were
seen as symptoms of people trying to
Cope,
adapt and adopt to new identities,
And
new ways of life.
It
seems like the COVID-19 flood has picked up these trends
And hastened
their flow.
Let’s
look at one obvious example: Work.
We
used to have a clear dichotomy of home and office;
Private
and public.
It’s
true, thanks to technology,
Their
convergence was already underway;
But COVID has now completely merged these two,
And it’s
now acceptable to wake up in the morning,
And
go into a virtual meeting in your kitchen,
Before
taking a shower or dressing up (in your pajamas),
And
with children playing in the background.
The prospect
of unscheduled, impromptu meetings,
Or
the boss calling you into his office 5 times a day, is now out.
The
idea of your supervisor looking over your shoulder
To
see what you are doing, is out.
The
chit chat and gossip around the coffee machine is out.
Office
clad, and the time and expense
That
went into keeping appearances is out.
In
comes self-discipline, self-management and self-initiative.
In
comes management by objectives and key results –
Everybody
can now see who and how each of us
Is
contributing to the cause. No more hiding in silent corners.
In
comes the gig economy –
One
can now be engaged in multiple projects by multiple employers –
And
one can take assignments from anywhere in the globe,
Without
dropping a beat.
Out
goes the Curriculum Vitae,
In
comes your profile – you now have to show actual body of work,
And
clients who have liked and been impacted by it.
Out
goes the HR department to plan your up-skilling and growth,
In
comes self-learning and unlearning.
Out
goes the bulk of administrators, clerks
And
anything else that can be automated;
In
comes specialized skills and creativity.
Out
goes the organization structure and positional power,
In
comes inter-disciplinary, self-managed teams of equals.
We
like asking kids what they would like to be when they grow up.
With
so many occupations going out and others opening up,
This
is no longer an intelligent question.
It’s doesn’t
look feasible or prudent any more,
For
us to hold a single image of our role in society.
Each
of us has to learn to contribute meaningfully,
And
to insert and integrate ourselves where our contribution
Is
needed and valued.
This
will come as a shock to many!
Think
about this for a minute…
Our
whole self-identity is tied to work –
You
are an architect, a doctor, a researcher,
A
businessman…
To
say you are nobody, is to say you are crazy!
These
identities are deeply ingrained, and they determine
Where
we live,
What
we drive,
How
we dress,
How
we talk,
Our level of education,
Our status in society,
Our social mobility,
Who
we socialize with and where...
Even
the roles we ascribe to each gender,
And the expectations we have of each other,
Are a
derivative of work.
We can’t
live without an identity.
That’s
why adolescence is such a tumultuous
And
important time, in our lives.
We
are trying to sort ourselves out,
And
decide who we really are, in this world.
Most
of us equate work with physical production.
But
work is actually emotional and social.
It
gives us self-esteem and dignity,
It
provides us with an avenue to showcase
Our
unique talents, creativity and love,
And
gives us something to share with others.
This
essence of work is missing in a majority of jobs today,
And
the shift won’t be pretty.
Work
is only one area where the shift is happening.
As noted at the beginning, there are many others,
And with so many changes happening in multiple,
And significant
areas of our lives,
We
are undoubtedly going to feel like adolescents –
Emotionally
and socially isolated –
And
face an identity crisis, all over again.
How
do you see this affecting your self-image,
And
the expectations you have for yourself and others?
How
do you introduce yourself to others these days?
Who
do you say you are? What do you say you do?
Who
are you associating with now, that is new to your circle?
What
do they see in and about you,
That
was unknown to your old circle?
Do you
sense something different between the new and old You?
Do
you see this as a temporary or continuing shift?
Do
you sense that everyone around you is going through a similar shift?
How
will this shift change you, and those you live, love
And
associate with?
*'Covid-stion' is a series of questions we will be posing in the next couple of weeks, inspired by our own reflection of 'lessons learnt' from COVID-19. The questions are meant to invite self-reflection.
** Today's question is inspired by the work of Dr. Wandia Njoya, Prof. David Graeber and Prof. Lewis Gordon.
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