Identity? National, religious, other? How do you feel about it?

I think identity is a thing of the past. I'm more interested in who (not what) a person is. But many people cling to and find illusionary security in some imagined national, religious, racial, class, caste or neighborhood belonging.
We only belong to ourselves. Anything else is from the devil used for exploitation by unethical personalities.
It's only individual identity that matters and that one is particularly hard to define. Maybe that's why many people prefer to adopt a ready made prefabricated one.
Still it can be impossibly difficult to try to understand the world in its complexity and sophistication all by oneself. We need to believe in something, take some knowledge for granted unable to check it ourselves and that's when group knowledge seems reasonably believable and one is prepared to accept the opinion of priests, scientists, politicians or even soothsayers.
Nevertheless I believe sticking to imagined national, religious, or professional identity robs a person from the opportunity to form an independent, objective and balanced opinion that has more chance to be true. Ignoring truth is not only an unwise choice but outright dangerous for the perpetrators and their environment so that's one liberty that we cannot afford. Striving to assert one's individuality is a right and responsibility to oneself and those around.

Desires and Beliefs on the Path to the Truth

Desires are like lamps on our path in life marking the direction towards our purpose. As any force of nature they can be perilous and destructive or propel us towards our purpose in life if managed by a skilful captain. We are free to choose to guide the ship of our life towards exotic places or left without direction towards the only place our life will naturally go: the bottom, no matter how much we wallow in self pity.
To find out where we are and where we want to go we try to base our decisions on fact and proven theory. But life is much more complicated and on top of that personal so its often hard to find useful advice and guidance. What are we and were do we want to go? Everyone certainly has some idea about that. So do your friends and wider circle of relatives, workmates etc. There view may be close to yours or widely different. And somewhere there is the real you independent of opinion but certainly moving or being moved in one or other direction for good or bad.
Among all that we have our beliefs: the things we hold to be true without decisive proof because we didn’t have the time or the opportunity to check their validity. We still act upon them because we need to act and make choice big and small in every moment of our lives. So these beliefs influence reality and so in fact create into reality. Again we may be successful but that would be entirely due to chance. Only by sharing our beliefs, assumptions, hypothesis with other reasonable people and accepting any constructive criticism can we see clearer in the fog of complexity created by contemporary society. Our desires, passions, values, goals being the compass the best map will be the one created by thinking and experience, and open to corrections by fellow travelers.
And not only for advice often if not always we need outright help from others to achieve our goals. But how do we enlist that help? There are two obvious ways: Cooperation or Coercion. Coercion might come first to mind and seems like a quick and easy way to achieve your goals but it's self-defeating in the end. Cooperation builds on common reasoning and pooling of resource to reach goals both personal and common trough understanding, compassion and common sense.

Who are you? What do you want?

Pretty normal questions even if they sound a bit rude. A wrong answer to the first one can get you killed in some places like the Middle East or the Balkans, and the second one is the most important question in the world. What you want and actually knowing what you really want shapes what you are and gives meaning to your life. The truth is that most probably you'll get what you really want dreams tend to come true (sometimes nightmares come true too).
I think, what you really are, is shaped by how you see yourself, where you want to be and how others see you. The real you at any moment is somewhere in between those three points. Of course you can always imagine other views like where others want you to be and how you are influence by the other's view of you. And again you have to figure out who you are in general terms. I believe in John Lennon’s credo from Imagine.(there is no country and no religion too) but many people seem to cling to some kind of belonging which they find comforting. I have my own loyalties to family and friends, and am proud of my cultural heritage, but can't imagine using that against any other human being except in clear cut defense situation.
Belonging to a religious, political, professional or sports community how diverse we are not how different we are. It's OK to be proud but stupid to be arrogant. I actually think that you can only be really proud if you are not arrogant. Only when you acknowledge the qualities of other you can shine in your own way too. Anything else would have been a race without opponents. Not much honor in winning one of those.
What do you really want? Fame? Power? Money? ... Love? Our deepest desires are what we really are. Divine sparks of inspiration shaping our calling that we must follow to feel at peace with the universe and to succeed and any wavering from which is frustrating and makes us miserable.
I guess what you want makes who you are. And it's up to me to decide who I am. If what I really want is challenging and inspiring, and deep desires usually are, we need the help and cooperation of other people all with their dreams, desires. world views and identities. If we are true to your inner self and your innermost desires it's more likely to be able to impress friends, neighbors and colleagues to help us follow our dream while perhaps helping them follow theirs because dreams always come true if we build foundations under our castles in the air.

Stupidity

There is an old Bulgarian saying: "Stupidity occurs to humans". Indeed it does. All to often. More often than we all would like to see. But what can we do. There is no stupid animal. Animals are just natural, so are trees. For people stupidity is natural too. In order to achieve something more than naturally occurring stupidity we need to make an effort and think. By making an effort I don't mean exert oneself. No, on the contrary, natural life is hard work and full of frustration and disappointments only the clever ones can leave a truly good lazy life in luxury or whatever you consider good life: might be devoting your life to yourself, your family, the advancement of humanity or science and invention. But alas good life doesn't come naturally. You must plan it, build it, and then enjoy it. And all that involves thinking. And thinking is a dangerous process always prone to stumble into the trap of stupidity especially if it is done in a stuck up self-conceited: ‘holier than you way’ .

We all now stupidity after the fact. Well most ot the time. That not a big feat. It's easy to notice when it hurts. It's harder to grasp it before the fact: Danger! Stupidity! Will get us into trouble! Will most possibly hurt! Probably a lot! Evade, prevent, desist, in one word: THINK!. Thinking may be painful and confusing and is not a sure antidote to stupidity actually stupidity is a one of the possible outcomes of thinking) still it is the only known remedy against the pains and frustration of stupidity.

Social Theory

'Philosophy is written in this grand book, the Universe. But the book cannot be read unless one first learns to comprehend the language and read the alphabet in which it is composed' GALILEO GALILEI

Introduction
Beliefs
We can only act upon what we believe is true. It is inevitable that our knowledge is imperfects as we ourselves are imperfect. That doesn't mean that we can't be successful even when we base our actions on this imperfect knowledge .The difference is that the more our subjective knowledge corresponds to objective reality the less our successes will be subject to chance instead of plan. That perfect knowledge is impossible to attain shouldn't stop us from trying. (see Ferrari)
Truth
We can have simple truths as 2+2=4 but unfortunately such obvious truths rarely are of much use and even if they are their discovery is easy. The problem is that the more complicates a concept is the more difficult it is to define, justify and prove yet often it's the most important and critical for making crucial decisions.

Values
Values as most important in any political inquiry for the following reasons:
Any politico-sociological inquiry must have a goal.
That goal must be justified by a value system.

Values often are the basis of defining interests and guiding choices.

Interests
In pursuing our interests we have two choices in relation to other people to help us achieve our goals to cooperate or coerce.
Cooperation or Coercion?
Both have advantages and disadvantages. Cooperation generates goodwill and possibility for future cooperation but may take time to negotiate and will require trade off in effort, resources and/or possible adjustment on one’s goals. Coercion may bring concrete payoff faster and easier but will generate resentment which will lead to retaliation and eventually make it more expensive in the end.
Additionally cooperation may benefit from the intellectual, emotional and spiritual input of other that could greatly enhance achievement while coercion will employ all invention, passion and prayer of our counterpart against us.
Structures and Institutions
Structural/institutional approaches to cooperation like rules, laws or principles, associations (including states), and markets arte the cheapest ones. Cheap as they may be they require periodic maintenance if we aspect them to serve us as intended being human creation they are neither perfect nor natural.

Cheap as they are structures are imperfect and need to be constantly modified to smooth out their own imperfect adaptation to reality and to accommodate changes in that same reality. That jeopardizes both their efficiency as resources need to be spent on changes and raises the resistance not only of those who are accustomed to the old system or reluctant to invest in its improvement but by those who profit for the imperfections that are to be straightened up.

What would I want from my structures/institutions? I would certainly want them to be able to archive their goals and to do it cheaply. No question I would want them to set these goal according to my wishes or as compatible with my wishes as possible and I would like to have some safeguard that my organization won’t turning against me. So simply said I want them to be democratic, accountable and respecting my rights.
Coercion
Can be protective and aggressive (intentionally, de facto or perceived) It is always bound to provoke violent reaction of the stronger if the threats or actions are perceived as aggressive.
Power
Power is the ability to achieve one's goals.
Society is people cooperating or competing in pursuit of their goals.
Politics is people cooperating or competing in the acquisition of power.
Power is the ability to make an independent choice???

Goals
Goals stem from interests based on wants, which in turn are perceived needs.