Culture Shapes Identity Through Illusions of Significance

Human culture can be understood as a network of immortality projects that provide meaning and structure to individuals. Awareness of mortality prompts a collective response, leading societies to create predefined roles that distract from existential anxiety. These roles serve to give individuals a sense of identity and belonging, allowing them to navigate life without succumbing to fear of death and meaninglessness. Rather than generating personal identities organically, people derive their sense of self from cultural categories, embracing illusions of significance that foster a feeling of permanence within a transient existence.