Contemplating The Maxim
Introspection
Throughout Western history we have been enjoined to “Know Thyself.” Certainly our Ancient Craft advises that course as well.
But, what does “Know Thyself” actually mean?
Does it mean having a vibrant and rich inner life?
Does it mean sentimentality, a romantic view of life?
Can a man know himself without thinking? If not, how can we properly think?
Can man truly have honor, without a rich inner life? Or would such concepts be meaningless to him?
Is modern therapy different from the traditional quest to “Know Thyself?”
Does discussing one’s feelings and emotions with another aid in self knowledge?
What is the difference between knowing oneself and self obsession?
Does self pity stand in the way of self knowledge?
Are ‘feeling good about yourself’ and ‘knowing yourself’ much different things? Which is most important? Why?
Is feeling good about ourselves at all times actually a sign that we don’t actually know ourselves?
How can we recognize those occasions when we are lying to ourselves about ourselves?
I think that drugs may play into this as well.
Can psychoactive drugs, taken for the purpose of knowing thyself aid in that quest?
What about psychoactive drugs continually taken to change one’s feelings or behaviors? Do those kinds of drugs make it impossible to know thyself? If so, can the tradeoff be worth it?
I have absolutely no idea as to the answers to most of these questions. All I have are the questions. I thought that sharing all of these questions here today might lead to an extremely valuable discussion.
A discussion which could help each of us on our individual quests to “Know Thyself.”
What do you think?
Do you have an answer to one or lots of the questions above that you can share?
Do you have more questions that I didn’t include here?
Let’s chat about it in the comments below…
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Your questions have intrigued man since the dawn of time.
I have been strictly instructed that I must first subdue my passions before I may gain this sacred knowledge.
I am but a Standup Philosopher. Within that statement, I'll take a crack at a couple of these:
But, what does “Know Thyself” actually mean? To me, it's understanding yourself, your strengths and weaknesses. knowing WHY you do what you do, and either embracing that, if you're good with it, or working at changing what you find problematic.
Does it mean having a vibrant and rich inner life? I don't even know what that phrase means, so I'm going with no.
Does it mean sentimentality, a romantic view of life? definitely not.
Can a man know himself without thinking? If not, how can we properly think? I can't imagine how you could know yourself without thinking. Without thinking you are not man, you are animal. "How can we properly think?" Well that's an entirely different thing. Proper is such a judgement thing. What is proper? How do we define it?
Can man truly have honor, without a rich inner life? Or would such concepts be meaningless to him? Again, I have no idea what a "rich inner life" means. Define the term and I might be able to answer it.