Where our identity lies has been an essential question since the beginning of human existence. We want to understand who we are, because that defines what we do. Often, this leads people to define identity through their ideas. John Locke famously argued something similar, centering personal identity on our memories and consciousness. He noted that if your finger is cut off, your consciousness doesn't go with the finger; it stays in your mind. Therefore, our core identity must live in the mind and the ideas we hold there. But this creates a trap: if our ideas and memories are analyzed or called into question, our very identity is threatened. Although philosophers debate the validity of Locke's worldview, it is the exact theory many people operate under today.

We can see this incredibly clearly when a conversation starts going towards a topic or idea that's crucial to someone's personal identity. The conversation starts to break down and the person vehemently defends their idea. Our identity can be so tied to our ideas that an attack on those ideas requires a swift reaction to defend that identity. We can also see the other side of this identity tied to ideas concept when people hold easily falsifiable beliefs to hang onto or project a certain identity. Further, because these beliefs are so easily falsifiable, they can often be the best way to signal loyalty to a given community or leader. 

When our identity is built on our ideas, changing our mind feels like a kind of death. Through noticing this in the people around me and in myself, I've been trying to have more flexibility in my thinking. There's a quote from the writer Paul Graham "The more labels you have for yourself, the dumber they make you." In the piece, dumber refers to these ideas that aren't true, but you hold onto them because they are central to your either personal identity or how you relate to other people. I'm trying to remove those labels and instead define myself through my actions and my experiences. Using my identity as a tool to support my habits. Less "I hold this specific idea" and more "I engage in this practice". "I'm a writer" to "I write". It's a small, but powerful change. My identity is no longer tied to the idea of a writer but instead uses that activity as a way to express my identity.