Know Thyself (Gnothi Seariton)

Why does the human being ask this question?  Not “Be Thyself,” but know thyself.  Not live instinctively, but know that one is living, with inner consistency, from moment to moment through every day.  Not “acting out” some assumed role, but living it, with alive awareness, with consciousness of oneself in that unfolding stream of time, sometimes so completely that any sense of time is lost.

How does one come to such an awareness of our true self?  What if one finds qualities about the true self which are ugly or abhorrent?  Presumably one confronts them – accepts them – perhaps changes them, or not.  We do have choices.

And what is the true self?  Is it immutable, non-changing?  Or do we grow by change?

Is contentment a sign of finding the true self?  Perhaps it’s just comfortable – like an old shoe which fits the foot, but is worn out at the sole and run down at the heel, no longer offering real comfort, but rather the easy or lazy down-trodden habitual way.

One can be and not know.  But knowing-ness means putting it into words, bringing whatever is felt into awareness by giving it life and recognition in words, from the abstract to the verbal concrete.  It’s language which communicates, both to others and to ourselves – it’s words which reveal the inner self to that outward state of awareness.

One exercise is to cut away the clutter and find one word for understanding.  If you are asked to describe yourself ten years ago, in one word, what would that word have been (not a role – like “wife” or “father” – but a word which describes you). 

Twenty years ago?

Before that?

Now?

In future?

What word do you want to become?

Some Words of Encouragement:

·        Who you will be in the next five years depends on three things:

~  The books you read

~  The people you meet

~  The choices you make

·        There is a story about a Navajo grandfather who once told his grandson, “Two wolves live inside me.  One is the bad wolf, full of greed and laziness, full of anger and jealousy and regret.  The other is the good wolf, full of joy and compassion and willingness and a great love for the world.  All the time these wolves are fighting inside me.”

“But grandfather,” the boy said, “which wolf will win?”

The grandfather replied, “The one I feed.” [The Year of Pleasures, Elizabeth Berg, p. 165.]