“Everyone has the obligation to ponder well his own specific traits of character. He must also regulate them adequately and not wonder whether someone

“Everyone has the obligation to ponder well his own specific traits of character. He must also regulate them adequately and not wonder whether someone else’s traits might suit him better. The more definitely his own a man’s character is, the better it fits him.”- Cicero

Cicero provides two clear insights in this passage. The first is the promotion of knowing oneself and owning the person one recognises. The second insight hones in on the common world humanity shares and the varity of attributes prestn in our neighbours. Although the exhortation to know oneself has many benefits, knowledge and emulationof those around us can be a useful and necessary tool in adapting and growing. Hence the obligation is better seen as part of a continuum in which the gamut of attributes benefits the groups of individuals. To address this issue more broadly, the identity of nations, cultures and societies also impacts on the way it carries itself.

Knowing oneself promotes honesty and evaluation. The process of reflection on decisions or interpersonal clashes is likely to engender a more benevolent and open outlook to life. To own one’s identity is also important in that sense of self, as it will engender responses that are both unique and honest. Otherwise, individuals risk acting outside of their own interests and may well tend to exploitation. Hence, a variety of perspectives abound in humanity that arises from various experiences and periods of reflection. In contrast, to own one’s identity or to be wholly focused on the benefits of an individual’s character may lead to mediocrity and a self-satisfaction that could be destructive or detrimental to growth. Hence, the existence of other people allows individuals to continue to modify their behaviour and learn.

The exhortation own oneself or the potential benefits of learning from others exist at two ends of a spectrum. Perhaps Cicero refers to the jealousy or the lack of decisiveness that may arise from individuals constantly wondering whether another’s responses were superior to their own. Definitely within interpersonal interactions jealousy abounds, but this may reside from a deeper dissatisfaction of self, for example. Hence, there may be wisdom in discerning what attributes suit an individual and what attributes could be damaging our ability to relate. The common space we share is also a space of characters in which there are many overlaps and accessions. This process leads to a mosaic of traits that also implicates society and its identity.

The identity of a society is likely to spring from its internal culture as well as the culture from surrounding influences. Australia for example gradually stopped seeing itself as a component of the British Empire and has currently adopted its place among the many Asian nations. This divide is ven seen within suburban city life wherein different geographical regions express different value systems. Hence, society owns its identity insofar as the individuals within it adhere to it, and this is affected by copious shifts in people, ideas and values.