WHO, OR WHAT, EXACTLY ARE WE?
SELF UNDERSTANDING IS SYEP ONE TO ANY REWARDING PATH IN LIFE..
Know thyself. At this point in time there is no secret wisdom. It is all known. A good teacher is just trying to keep the flame alive. So here we are again, in familiar territory. Self knowledge. If it was so easy, we would all be masters of our selves. Yet we have so many layers, and then we have so many different experiences that tug on us and ask us to answer or resolve so many different questions.
Self knowledge could be divided into 3 components. The knowledge of our common humanness. This is the understanding of the standard inherent strengths and weaknesses we all share regardless of who we are. Then we have our disposition, attached to our DNA, We must be careful in this because if we had a traumatic childhood, we can associate reactions to this as part of our disposition, when they are just things we need to heal and overcome. The last aspect, but no less important, is the mechanics of our physical and energetic being. Two inter related things. That is the knowledge of our bodies and an understanding of how our minds process energy and experiences. This is our lofty place of self understanding.
Where does all of this leave us? With a language. A means of navigating life and recognizing where we are and what we are going through relative to who we are, and hopefully having a sort of best practices to deal with wherever or whatever that is. Does this self knowledge make us stronger? Wiser? Happier? More loved? That remains to be seen. Only practices can bring those things. Knowledge is just that. It is like learning how to write. An important skill, and yet what matters is what we we choose to write, who we give that to read, and what we wish to accomplish with our writing.
This is what disappoints many on the path of self evolution. That that book or video or new take on things did not do the job. The knowledge just fell flat. That is what knowledge does. Life is what moves us, Forges us. If you are wise, you will spend a lot of time investing in your self understanding. It is not wasted. It will be a big bonus on your journey. But your self understanding will not keep you from passing through the many painful challenges we face in life. You will have no magic wand for many things that you wish you did. You will be humbled regardless. But better to be humbled as your true self and not someone hiding from who you really are. And better to face something for what it really is and not hide from the ability to walk out of a challenge with wisdom, which comes from knowing our wisest relation to that challenge.
Don’t look for magic in this part of your life. Life is the magic. Look for leverage. IN this life, we need all the leverage we can find, and our understanding of our self is one of the most powerful bits of leverage we can find.