Edwin's questionnaire (still haven't gotten around to filling that out, sorry Edwin) has got me thinking about Vol identity, or rather, the relationship between identity and Vol-hood, if you will.
For instance - how many of us identify as Vols first, everything else second? I feel it must be a very small number. Before now we were so scattered, the most minor of minorities.
Of course the idea of such simplistic identification is problematic to begin with, and so dependent on context: outside of Mexico, I am a Mexican. Inside, I am from Mexico City; I am a member of the Mendez Villanova family; I am just myself, no labels needed. Some things are a given, until something is taken away. Outside of IVI, can we really have identified as Vols without having known other Vols? Can a community exist without contact with other members? I suppose the internet has made that easier for some, but what about others?
Then there is the more individual question: how much does being a Vol define who you are? How did you identify before you became a Vol? Is it even relevant? We all go through so many changes at that age anyway, there are any number of factors that can alter our view of ourselves - the schools we attend, the people we meet, the things we do. Again, I suppose context is key - some powers are unavoidably life-changing; others, less so.