The many to one relationship of identity

Published on Sunday, 22. August 2021

I don't have a single identity. I have many. To use the terminology from object oriented programming, it's the difference between an "is a" and a "has a" relationship. Most cars have a radio, which gives them the ability to play music. But if cars had a sense of self, they surely wouldn't identify as a radio.
In a similar fashion, I have many identities to choose from:

These are just a few that come to mind. I don't know where they come from. I know that they mostly don't care for each other, and that none of them sees the full picture. But they all think that if I give them my full attention, I'll be truly happy. I know that this isn't true.

I have no control over what they believe in and what they want to do. All I can do is choose how much attention I want to give each of them. But my attention is limited. So I can't satisfy all of them.