The great Greek philosopher, Socrates, instructed, “Know thyself”. Knowing oneself is an essential journey one needs to embark upon. The task of knowing oneself cannot be accomplished in a few days, weeks, months, or even years. Knowing oneself is a lifelong process and is often an arduous one.
Why should one undertake the long and demanding journey of knowing oneself? Is knowing oneself important? Yes. Knowing oneself is perhaps the biggest of all gifts one can give oneself and others. Frederick Perls, one of the founders of Gestalt therapy, believed, “If we cannot understand ourselves, we can never hope to understand what we are doing, we can never hope to solve our problems, we can never hope to live rewarding lives”.
Knowing oneself helps one become aware of what one does, what one needs to do and what one should not do. Self-awareness leads to sound choices, from simple to complex ones. Further, knowing oneself enables the facing of daily challenges effectively and the finding of meaning and contentment in one’s life. Knowing oneself helps identify strengths and weaknesses, empowering one to handle life’s problems successfully. Sound awareness of one’s strengths and weaknesses will protect from draining energy and wasting time as one would know which strength to harness in a given situation.
To find peace, one has to live and be who one is, which requires getting in touch with oneself. One of the most satisfying journeys is the journey within — knowing oneself. It is impossible to live a rewarding life and to enjoy peace without knowing oneself.
Notes
1. Socrates was a Greek philosopher from Athens who is credited as the founder of Western philosophy and among the first moral philosophers of the ethical tradition of thought (Wikipedia).
2. Frederick Perls, 1973, The Gestalt Approach & Eye Witness to Therapy
That's really helpful......
ReplyDeleteMany take life for granted.
ReplyDeleteThis piece of writing is an eye opener to personal life. Wonderful...
Very helpful blog🙂
ReplyDeleteSelf awareness really helps us to live a better life especially as a religious when we live in a community of different people.
ReplyDeleteMost demanding and most satisfying journey. Pure words of wisdom. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteReally very helpful
ReplyDeleteA very good one 👍🏽👌🏽
ReplyDeleteSelf awareness is the backbone to bring true to yourself.
ReplyDelete"backbone to bring true to yourself" a very good and apt usage.
ReplyDeleteVery true, once i was reflecting on my personal growth, i came to the conclusion that within one or two days no once becomes a spiritual person, it takes years to form oneself with every Small steps. Thank you father for the insight
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