The stories of wallets being discovered after many years are fascinating and make you wonder if the people that find them really examine their contents and the clues provided. Have they taken the time to look at every detail and piece together all of the clues contained in the capsule they have found? As I look through the contents of my wallet, I wonder what conclusions people would draw about my identity and how accurate they would be.
Upon opening my wallet the first thing that flops out is a driver’s license which is in the same flap as a student identification card. These two small pieces of plastic contain a wealth of information about who I am and what my identity might be. From the driver’s license one can find my gender, date of birth, height, weight, eye color, name, address, ethnicity, what I look like from the shoulders up and a few other details. The student ID card also contains a picture from the shoulders up that is very similar and has a current quarter sticker on it. One could gather that I was a blue-eyed, blond-haired, Caucasian male that appears to be rather clean-cut and attending Everett Community College. Other than the fact that I am currently attending school, all of the other information is really superficial and a closer inspection of my wallet would be needed to gather more evidence as to my true identity.
A more thorough examination reveals some more important details. Behind the flap containing the driver’s license is a picture of my wife and I. The picture is from a wedding reception we attended and we appear to be very happy in the picture. The picture is tucked away in a safe place giving the finder a clue to the importance of this photo. A run through the other two outer dividers provide an insurance card, bank cards, reward cards from several stores, and several business cards. The business cards and the health insurance card would probably provide the most information about my identity. The insurance card has my wife and son’s name on it also as well as my employer. The business cards are from contacts within the company that I work for and machine manufacturer representatives from several different companies. This information creates a simplified description of the person that I may be and the type of work I do. The one thing that is missing from my wallet are personal affects. My wife and kids are of utmost importance in my life but there is not much evidence of them located within the leather bi-fold. I really don’t have any explanation for this other than I use my wallet as a functional tool and keep it streamlined.
The contents contained within my wallet create a picture of who I am but the overall appearance of the plain, brown, leather wallet offers up much more insight to who I really am. My wallet is a reflection of my personality and how I operate. I tend to be very organized and analytical and the appearance of my wallet reflects that. I don’t keep unnecessary possessions and like my life to be simple and organized. I am not flashy and prefer a modest existence. I prefer not to draw attention to myself be it positive or negative and love the anonymity of a large city. If my wallet was sealed away in some discrete place and discovered in fifty years could my identity be recreated? Would the contents be the lone factor in recreating my identity or would the finder gather all of the clues before settling on who I really was? It would be a great historical experiment but I prefer to keep that boring, brown, bi-fold right where it belongs.
Upon opening my wallet the first thing that flops out is a driver’s license which is in the same flap as a student identification card. These two small pieces of plastic contain a wealth of information about who I am and what my identity might be. From the driver’s license one can find my gender, date of birth, height, weight, eye color, name, address, ethnicity, what I look like from the shoulders up and a few other details. The student ID card also contains a picture from the shoulders up that is very similar and has a current quarter sticker on it. One could gather that I was a blue-eyed, blond-haired, Caucasian male that appears to be rather clean-cut and attending Everett Community College. Other than the fact that I am currently attending school, all of the other information is really superficial and a closer inspection of my wallet would be needed to gather more evidence as to my true identity.
A more thorough examination reveals some more important details. Behind the flap containing the driver’s license is a picture of my wife and I. The picture is from a wedding reception we attended and we appear to be very happy in the picture. The picture is tucked away in a safe place giving the finder a clue to the importance of this photo. A run through the other two outer dividers provide an insurance card, bank cards, reward cards from several stores, and several business cards. The business cards and the health insurance card would probably provide the most information about my identity. The insurance card has my wife and son’s name on it also as well as my employer. The business cards are from contacts within the company that I work for and machine manufacturer representatives from several different companies. This information creates a simplified description of the person that I may be and the type of work I do. The one thing that is missing from my wallet are personal affects. My wife and kids are of utmost importance in my life but there is not much evidence of them located within the leather bi-fold. I really don’t have any explanation for this other than I use my wallet as a functional tool and keep it streamlined.
The contents contained within my wallet create a picture of who I am but the overall appearance of the plain, brown, leather wallet offers up much more insight to who I really am. My wallet is a reflection of my personality and how I operate. I tend to be very organized and analytical and the appearance of my wallet reflects that. I don’t keep unnecessary possessions and like my life to be simple and organized. I am not flashy and prefer a modest existence. I prefer not to draw attention to myself be it positive or negative and love the anonymity of a large city. If my wallet was sealed away in some discrete place and discovered in fifty years could my identity be recreated? Would the contents be the lone factor in recreating my identity or would the finder gather all of the clues before settling on who I really was? It would be a great historical experiment but I prefer to keep that boring, brown, bi-fold right where it belongs.
In your first paragraph you asked what conclusion people would draw from you and your wallet. I read your blog, completely blocking from my mind the other information that I know about you from previous discussion forums. Knowing myself, I would focus more on the lack of what was there, rather than what actually was. I would barely glance at your health insurance cards that stated you had a family, and focus more on the picture. I would assume you had no kids, or if you did; you weren't very close with them. Reading other discussions, I know this isn't true, but it is interesting how quickly people make judgments and assumptions based on little to no information.
ReplyDeleteJason,
ReplyDeleteWhat a great blog! I love your writing style; it's very welcoming. The fact that you find comfort in anonymity is very interesting to me. I think that your plain, brown wallet speaks volumes as to your preference to slip by unnoticed through life, though I can't help but contemplate your motivations for such wants.