Identity and Belonging

Our identity is never perfect we must accept the good as well as the bad
The term perfect is defined to be Having all the required or desirable elements, qualities, or characteristics; as good as it is possible to be; or free of faults or defects. Rosalynn carter said ‘once you accept the fact that you’re not perfect, then you develop some confidence’. Carter simply highlights the importance of acknowledging that there is no such thing as 'perfection'. Once we are able to accept this fact and recognise our strengths and our flaws it is at this point that we may only start to excel with self-confidence. Perfection similar to our identity is subjective, so we must ask the questions of who is able to categorise the perfect person, why are they considered a perfect person, and is there anyone who is perfect. This constant yearning for perfection is connected to the groups which surround us and the need to belong; it is wrongly believed that by being an ideal person we can form a sense of belonging with those around us.
By recognizing our assets and imperfections within our personalities we can be accepting and respectful of ourselves. Through the song dumb things Paul Kelly recognizes the human frailty within all of us and sings about the mistakes he has made, ‘I lost my shirt, I pawned my rings… I melted wax to fix my wings… I threw my hat into the ring’ instead of dwelling upon his mistakes in life, he convinces his listeners to celebrate about the bad aspects of our identity. ‘I thought that I just had to sing I’ve done all the dumb things.’   He shows the imperfections within us and how by accepting the good and bad we can find comfort within our personalities.   Selena Gomez highlights the idea of embracing who you are as a person, she uses herself as an example of a strong individual who wishes to be nobody but herself. ‘I’m sure you got some things you’d like to change about yourself. But when it comes to me I wouldn’t want to be anybody else.’   Both these...