Solving Our Deepest Mystery

Many of us believe that by the time we reach the age of maturity at least we already know ourselves well enough. But we may be talking only of superficial, general self-knowledge. Beyond knowing what we want and what we dislike, we know little else. 

Why are we upset with some people even if we know they mean or can do us no harm? Why do we like certain colors and not others? Why do we blank out when facing a crowd? Why do certain body types turn us on? Why do we feel uneasy being alone?

These are just a few examples of personal attitudes that we can’t normally account for or are not even aware of. To many of us, we are our own deepest mystery.

The human body and mind, as one, is a wonderful machine for enjoying the many things life has to offer. Like any machine, however, the quality of its performance depends largely on our ability to handle and operate it properly. Any machine would break down or malfunction if operated incorrectly.

In the same way, if we don’t understand our body-mind machine thoroughly enough – know its parts and understand how it functions – we cannot expect to conduct ourselves very well. Understanding leads to mastery. And with mastery comes outstanding performance.

On average, however, a person seldom invests time and attention for understanding his body-mind instrument. Thus, he mishandles himself like an incompetent musician who misuses his musical instrument to create noise rather than good music. Life, indeed, can either be a sweet melody or a maddening jangle. 

With lack of understanding, a person forms erroneous views, from which faulty habits for responding to life situations are born. These habits take their own course, growing stronger every day by repetition. The process can take place without the person even realizing that his life is already being led nowhere by his own mental fictions.

One of the main reasons we have problems is that we are generally unaware of the cause-and-effect connection between what we do wrong and our problems. Yet, with conscious and consistent effort – no matter how little – we can rid our life of unnecessary woes. We can learn to turn things around for the better, minimize failures and multiply victories.

The crucial start of it all is self-awareness – to know our own capabilities, to know and understand our own desires and tendencies. We need to understand why we are being the way we are. Such awareness can be the light on our life path, wisdom to make us always know what to do.

It is so easy to embrace faulty ideas and concepts, so easy that we won’t even notice the process taking place. We are often too tired for critical thinking. When our favorite TV host suggests a way to solve a personal financial crisis, we take it hook-line-and-sinker, even if we know that the guy is not a financial expert but a mere media celebrity who might just be reading from a script written by some novice assistant. A housewife being told by another of a way to reduce her electricity bills with the use of a “jumper” on her meter, unaware of the implications of such deed, may jump on the idea, and they might both land in legal trouble.

Most of the time, we create our own disasters. But, likewise, we can also device our own way out of them. We can start by being aware. For example, a person who is aware of his own allergic reaction to a particular kind of hairspray can avoid using it and save himself from an irritated scalp. A girl who is aware that certain dresses look terrible on her can save herself from the ridicule of her friends.

Modern medicine has discovered that diseases don’t just happen, that we had a lot to do with our own ailments way before we become the helpless victims. With this knowledge, we have become more careful with the conditions we subject our bodies to. We can now actually choose to live healthier and longer.

Doors of opportunity will open for us if we are aware of our own capabilities. Those with a knack for organizing events can start a career as eventologists. Those who have a natural fondness for little children can earn while having a great time with the kids, by opening a day-care center. Those who have the ability for cooking up time- and cost-saving meals can show it off at the village fair, and they might develop a market for their recipes.

These are just simple examples, but the underlying principle applies to all areas of our life. If you know what you want and what you’re capable of, that knowledge can propel you towards success and happiness.

Self-awareness will get us to know our limitations, too. We will understand that some things in life are just beyond our control, except in the way we choose to experience them. With understanding, we will come to accept the things we have no control of and be less bothered by them. We make our own experience of life.

And being aware of our own limitations points out to us the areas we need to improve on. What we don’t know, we can learn. What we don’t have, we may acquire. There is in the world an abundance of people who are only too willing to help.

The physical therapist who instructs his patients to be aware of the difference between tense and relaxed muscles, teaches the patients a self-relaxation technique. A plumber who advises his customers to be aware of what they throw down their sinks just before the pipes clog up, teaches them of a way to minimize their plumbing problems.

We don’t need to be knowledgeable in all things, though. We can never be. But we need to focus on the things that matter to us so that we may minimize, or be better prepared for, potential problems and challenges.

The time and effort spent in knowing ourselves better is a worthwhile investment. It can do a lot in making life beautiful for ourselves, and for all others whom we are in dear relationship with. Self-knowledge is a virtual compass to help us find our own best place under the sun.

The classic line “Know thy self,” whoever it was who originally uttered it, is yet the most fundamental prescription for wisdom. Self-knowledge, like all knowledge, is power indeed.