Nepal, Feb. 16 -- A simple "where are you from?" question can wreak havoc in one's identity as it does to any immigrant in any country in the world

A life is just an interval in the general drama of existence and identity. Life ceases to be when existence fails to assert its identity. The fight for identity starts right at the moment existence begins. The horizontality of existence is directly correlated with the verticality of identity. In simpler terms, the longer one lives, the higher (fiercer) the battle for identity grows. Every additional moment of existence brings about an additional moment of anxiety of identity.

A Zen Koan (a puzzle used by Zen Buddhists during meditation to help unravel greater truths about the world and about...