Identity Check

How often do you have to use a pic­ture ID? Iden­tity checks are fairly reg­u­lar. If you write checks or use credit cards at check­out stands, you will find your­self often dig­ging around for your driver’s license. We often have to prove who we are just to do sim­ple transactions.

ID badges abound in indus­try. Most of us wear uni­forms of some kind. Look around. How many ser­vice peo­ple and employ­ees have to wear a cer­tain type of attire? Take notice through­out the day. The wait staff of restau­rants, the peo­ple that bring your mail, the health care indus­try (with pre­cise color and style codes in large hos­pi­tals), and even your mechanic. There are even more sub­tle dress codes. Min­is­ters wear ties or cler­i­cal col­lars. Busi­ness peo­ple wear the ever-present busi­ness suit. Their suits are also (for­mally or sub­con­sciously) color coded. The darker the color, the more man­age­r­ial. Pat­terns and stripes are for middle-management. Solid col­ors are for author­ity and even ownership.

We live in a com­plex cul­ture. The rules of real­ity are quite var­ied. We put up with them so that we can know our place and can express that to oth­ers. Heaven help us if we take it seri­ously. We are not our uni­forms. We are not our pro­fes­sions. We are not even our gen­der or race. Some­thing far greater is hap­pen­ing. Roles are ful­filled, but we are far more than our defined tasks. We are eter­nal. Over-identifying with our tem­po­rary (and merely socially assigned) iden­ti­ties is a real temp­ta­tion. What we do is not really all that we are. Jesus was a car­pen­ter. He was also much more than that. Real­iz­ing this does not demean his liveli­hood, but it opens the door to infi­nite possibilities.

The main ques­tion asked at din­ner par­ties is: “What do you do for a liv­ing?” We look for a person’s pro­fes­sional han­dle. It defines him or her in con­tem­po­rary eyes. It is more intrigu­ing if you ask, “Whose are you?” What ele­ment of the grand story of good and evil do you rep­re­sent? Ask a few ques­tions along those lines and see if you do not get some pretty defen­sive answers. We hurry to get a label so we can feel secure. In ten sec­onds, you will auto­mat­i­cally size up every­one in a room. Watch out for the peo­ple that work the room. What are they after?

Step back a lit­tle. Pay atten­tion to the rou­tine ways peo­ple relate. Cut through it all to get to the heart of the mat­ter. Most of all, see peo­ple beyond the veneers of socially-assigned roles. There are some really inter­est­ing souls around. Look closely. There are dia­monds among the bro­ken glass.