> So I no longer recognize ‘open source developer’ as part of my identity. It is now a thing I do, rather than a thing I am This is something worth trying for

> So I no longer recognize ‘open source developer’ as part of my identity. It is now a thing I do, rather than a thing I am This is something worth trying for most aspects of one's life. As soon as something is not in one's identity, it can change or be questioned without hurting so much. Being questioned, the thing can even be stronger since one can explain, with reason, why they are doing something, instead of "just" it being who they are. It also helps avoid locking oneself up in predefined boxes, categories and perspectives. Getting older, it probably allows one to adapt more easily to an ever moving world too. By the way, suppose you put "open source developer" into your identity, go somewhere people don't know anything about software and computers. Now what? "open source developer" is not relevant to them, it will be hard to explain who you are. Do you cease to exist there? No, obviously. That's because something deeper into you, touching your core values, lead you to participate in open source as a developer in your world. But those core values could have lead you to something else too, in a different world or another path of life. My opinion is: don't let too many things be in your identity. It makes you vulnerable and inflexible, without many benefits and probably blocks you access to useful introspection. Related: Keep Your Identity Small (http://www.paulgraham.com/identity.html http://www.paulgraham.com/identity.html)