identity

Recent events have led me to question who I am.
What kind of person I am.
Rethinking my identity, examining myself.
What am I? Who am I?
A world away from my warm and comfy upbringing, from the intelligent banter of the top maths group, from the academic environment I'm so used to, from the usual friends who are what nine out of ten people would call 'good people', is a charity shop where I've been working recently. I've been hanging out for 3 or 4 hours a week with guys who the shop managers call 'naughty boys', those on community service who have been in trouble with the police. These people, who are just as valuable, just as talented, in other things, as me, are completely different to me. Their accents, their clothes, their attitudes, their way of relating to people. Communities of people which operate so differently to mine. It makes me think about the way people see me. What kind of person am I, what impressions am I emitting? Do I seem like an alien, somebody out of touch and different to everybody? I've realised perhaps I need to change, in order to be more accessible and for all kinds of people to be able to relate to me. To open my mind, and to be a people person. All kinds of people. To put up with people more high and lofty than me, and to have time for those who are humble and more down-to-earth than me. Everybody is of the same value. Everybody makes mistakes, whether you're an Oxbridge Graduate or you flip burgers and earn enough for the bare essentials. Whether you're the perfect philanthropist who is helping everybody but secretly slanders people behind their backs, or you're the serial rapist who knows they need to change but just doesn't. Everybody always deserves forgiveness and a chance to start again.
Trust and Love.
People need to accept those who they don't want to mix with. And also acknowledge that their heroes have major flaws as well. No human is on a superior level to another.
School grades are often seen as the final say on how good a person is. Underacheivers can be scared to share their results because of people judging them, but Overacheivers can also be afraid to reveal their results to anybody because of being worried of upsetting or disheartening people. Sure, some people are more academic than others. Some people are going to go to Cambridge and study Law or Medicine and a flamboyant career will rocket them to wealth and status. Some will leave high school at sixteen and go to work. Some may leave and not get a job. I'm not denying that grades have a vast influence on the course of a person's life. But in terms of measuring people, grades are one out of a hundred ways. You can measure somebody's academic success, yes. You can also measure their common sense. Their hands-on skills. A philospohy grad may be very clever and earn thousands but might not know how to take apart and fix a dishwasher. Some people are cowardly, some are brave. You can measure how selfless or selfish somebody is. How loving a person they are. How good they are at playing the oboe. How athletically fit they are, or how tasty their chocolate cake is. How much discipline and self-control and dedication they have.
Academic success is important, but it is a small fraction of who you are. There are more important defining factors of a person. The same can be said for financial success. So there is no need to be intimidated by people who are worse or better at diffferent things. Everybody can help each other, use their abilities to help others who aren't as good in that particular field.
I don't know about you but personally I'm going to take every opportunity I can to talk and get to know and love people, of all walks of live, races, creeds, sexual orientations, ages, and genders.
We need to improve at loving people, whoever they are. Well I do, at least. Follow Jesus' example.