What makes me myself rather than anyone else is the very fact that I am poised between two countries, two or three languages, and several cultural traditions. It is precisely this that defines my identity. Would I exist more authentically if I cut off a part of myself
Interpretation
Identity is shaped by the diverse cultural and linguistic influences in our lives.
Amin Maalouf expresses how his identity is profoundly influenced by the rich tapestry of experiences he gains from living between different countries, languages, and cultures. He suggests that rather than diluting his identity, these various aspects enhance his sense of self, challenging the notion that a singular cultural affiliation is necessary for authenticity.
In practice
During a cultural exchange program, to highlight the importance of diverse backgrounds in shaping identity.
The identity cannot be compartmentalized; it cannot be split in halves or thirds, nor have any clearly defined set of boundaries. I do not have several identities, I only have one, made of all the elements that have shaped its unique proportions.
We are not just visitors on this planet, it belongs to us just as we belong to her, its past is ours, so is its future.
During my youth, the idea of moving from Lebanon was unthinkable. Then I began to realise I might have to go, like my grandfather, uncles and others who left for America, Egypt, Australia, Cuba.
Let your tears roll tonight, but tomorrow you will start the battle again. What defeats us, always, is just our own sorrow.
A life spent writing has taught me to be wary of words. Those that seem clearest are often the most treacherous.
People sometimes imagine that just because they have access to so many newspapers, radio and TV channels, they will get an infinity of different opinions. Then they discover that things are just the opposite: the power of these loudspeakers only amplifies the opinion prevalent at a certain time, to the point where it covers any other opinion.
Psychedelics are illegal not because a loving government is concerned that you may jump out of a third story window. Psychedelics are illegal because they dissolve opinion structures and culturally laid down models of behaviour and information processing. They open you up to the possibility that everything you know is wrong.
No one's death comes to pass without making some impression, and those close to the deceased inherit part of the liberated soul and become richer in their humanness.
Remember, purpose is about giving...All you can do with your life is to give it away in the service of others.
For before this I was born once a boy, and a maiden, and a plant, and a bird, and a darting fish in the sea.
Drinking when we are not thirsty and making love at all seasons, madam: that is all there is to distinguish us from other animals.
I lived in Judea eighteen hundred years ago, but I never knew that there was such a one as Christ among my contemporaries.
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