"To be ignorant of the past is to be forever a child."
- Cicero

To embrace identity, one must first understand that they are the product of something far greater than themselves. You are a product of tens of thousands of years of struggle and success - and you owe it not only to those who came before you, but to yourself to understand the bigger picture.
Not only this, but you must remember that you are also an active participant in history - so what will you do?