Personal Narrative: My Personal Identity

My parents are products of the rejection and redefinition of traditional values that defined the Baby Boomer generation. The last waves of dramatic social change they saw firsthand changed their personal ideologies. Instead of seeking a traditional family life, my parents decided to settle in an environment in which a child could blossom. Consequently, I grew up in a small close-knit predominately white town, surrounded by highly educated tolerant personalities. The basis of my personal identity developed in this unique setting. It might be that I am a white American woman, or that my parents gave such a carefree atmosphere to develop in, or even possibly some divine blessing but I never had to face the hindrances of race or sexuality. Whatever …show more content…
Once there I saw both sexuality and race from a unique perspective. Indian culture has liberated and controlled the sexuality and race of its people and countless visitors for millennia. The entire fabric of the country is wound tight with sexual tension and underlying racism. For the first time in my life my race wasn’t invisible. I got called names, people looked at and treated me differently. Men and women stared at me because of my complexion and presumed details about my personal life. But most important, I felt alone. I had never experienced the normal sexual confines of a typical American childhood. Both my parents were formally religious and willing to nurture if not discuss sexuality. With such an open-minded and accepting community of nature loving Grateful Dead social rejects, overwhelmed by enough liberal love I was able to make my way into world and discover the functions of gender and sex without the restrictions of a larger social setting. Besides the devoted nurture of my parents and the extraordinary natural environment I developed in; one more aspect led to my smooth transition into the chaos of the world. This was my love for humanities. The beauty of that umbrella of literature, history, cultural studies and philosophy is that it has ‘human’ in the very word. Knowledge is the most powerful tool in overcoming the bias and prejudice that exist in all cultures. More importantly than that it is what keeps us trying to learn more about each

Show More