An individual's assessment of social identity
An individual's assessment of who they are based on the types of people they interact with is referred to as their social identity. Interacting with a variety of people helps one develop a feeling of belonging, which develops into the idea of social identity. People often elevate the prestige of their teams in an effort to boost their own self-worth, which results in them becoming more distinct from others who are not on the same team. As a result, social identity can result in a situation where the group's (in-group) members end up discriminating against the outsiders in order to improve their self-image. a review of the books, The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit – by Michael Finkel – and Solitude: In Pursuit of a Singular Life in a Crowded World - by Michael Harris reveals that social identity forces individuals to value themselves based on others' values. And, hence, the reason most people tend to live solitary lives. Consequently, a cross-examination of these tests suggests that people who prefer to uphold and value societal virtues such as peace would always prefer to be alone instead of interacting with malicious people who tend to betray others.
Social identity and solitude
Social identity is closely tied to solitude. Solitude refers to a case whereby a person prefers spending his/her life alone. An in-depth analysis of the ideas put across by the authors point out that solitude is the primary way through which a person can enhance his/her value. The authors suggest that being alone is a significant factor that matters in one's life more than anything else. Though there are times when the feeling of loneliness sets in, it is through solitude that one gets to learn his/her real worthiness and hence, making one contented with the beauty of life. Whenever one is in a group, he/she doesn't see the need to do some things since she/he believes that other people can do it better and meet the desired expectations. However, when one is alone, she/he devises means of doing what she feels is essential without relying on one someone. Harris notes that after Dr. Bone was taken into a cell, she requested the correctional officers to send a barber to her. However, her request was turned down since the officers claimed that women must have long hair at all times (Harris, 4). It is at this point that Dr, Bone realized that she could shave and, hence, started 'tearing each hair individually' (Harris, 4). Ultimately, she managed to trim her hair to the desired size. Finkel also notes that after the hermit – Knight – was jailed, he always preferred to live a lonely life and, thus, he remained quiet in most of the times. He claims that silence is normal to him and that it makes him comfortable. He also suggests that he was always surprised by people who claimed that silence is a form of intimidation (Finkel, 33). Knit also points out that he always felt some contempt towards the people who could hardly keep quiet (Finkel, 33). In most of his letters to the journalist, he also argued that he 'felt at peace in silence' (Finkel, 36). As a result of spending so many years of his life alone, Knight had the learned to be content with life and, thus, the reason he always preferred to live a solitary life. This insight makes the reader understand why the hermit had to behave as he did while in the forest. For instance, he always made sure that he moved at night and also made sure that he did not leave any trace (footsteps) while walking to avoid being traced. Also, he avoided stepping on the dry sticks while walking as they would have cracked, hence, alerting any person who might be within the forest. From the discussion above, it is clear that solitude enables an individual have a personal understanding of themselves, and hence the social identity.
Upholding key virtues like peace
Upholding key virtues like peace is a duty that every member of society is mandated to fulfill. Social identity makes one have a feeling of self-worth and, hence, avoid doing anything that may hurt others. In such a scenario one might opt to live a lonely life instead of interacting with people who might unjustifiably make one act. Therefore, one decides to make peace with himself/herself instead of concentrating on the problems that he/she might be going through, which would end up making him/her unhappy. After the corrections officers decided to make sure that Dr. Bone lived an isolated life, she made up her mind to embrace peace instead of depicting desperation or even seeking for consolation (Harris, 6). Additionally, she decided that she would spend time alone – since that is what gave her hope – and cease thinking about her prison life. By opting to do so, Dr. Bone indicates that people should concentrate on doing what might make them have peace and stop worrying about matters that might end up making them desperate. Therefore, an individual should always strive to be at peace even in situations whereby he/she is behaving in a manner that might not be approved by the community members. Knight also claims that he liked keeping his 'distance,' which implies that he always preferred being alone (Finkel, 37). He notes that most people who tried contacting him were 'all filed with friendly hermit wisdom. Just sprouting off fortune-cookie lines from my hermit home' (Finkel, 37). Knight's words suggest that there are times when the people who one interacts with are more focused on taking advantage of the relationship to gain something. In such a scenario, such people would not be termed as friends and, hence, it would be rational for one to live an isolated life. He also cites that he chose to lead a solitary life since he realized that most people in the society are wicked, full of malice and hatred and, thus, the reason why they would not hesitate to betray their colleagues (Harris, 51). Therefore, he felt justified living a lonely life since he was sure that no one would betray him or even subject him to any malicious dealings. Just as Knight suggests, it is better for one to spend time alone instead of being with people who might take advantage of him/her.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, social identity subjects one to uphold the values that seem valuable, which increases his/her self-worth. Usually, society members will always seek means of enhancing their social identity depending on their assessment of other people's values. Finkel and Harris suggest that people may successfully uphold their social integrity by leading solitary lives. In such scenarios, individuals will always tend to concentrate more on what gives them peace and joy and forsake anything that would make them unhappy. Harris points out that after Dr. Bone was subjected to a solitary life, she opted to choose peace over desperation, which made it easier for her to do some things – such as shaving – without relying on others. Finkel affirms this by pointing out the hermit – Knight – opted to lead a lonely life since he had learned that some people would take advantage of their relationship to gain whatever they desired, which would have hurt him (Knight). Besides, he had noted that most people are full of malice and hatred and, thus, the best way of keeping away from them is by leading an isolated life.
Works Cited
Finkel, Michael. The Stranger In The Woods: The Extraordinary Story Of The Last Hermit. Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 2017.
Harris, Michael. Solitude: In Pursuit of a Singular Life in a Crowded World. Thomas Dur ne Books, St. Martin’s Press, New York, 2017.
