Does this look strange and sound ever weirder? Probably. When I heard those words coming out of my mouth, it arrested me too. ‘Of course I understand me’, was my initial response. ‘If I didn’t, who would?’ I suspect this thinking was triggered by another post I was writing on – “Disappointing yourself”. The question I asked me was, when this happens, am I ever surprised? If so, then maybe I really don’t fully understand me. What about you?
Who cares? I think we all should be aware about a ‘self-understanding’. If we don’t then we act based on abandoned-ness. (And if that isn’t a word, consider it coined.) Abandon, in this sense is defined as a form of ‘wild’ (abandon), a lack of knowledge which may or may not be harmful to self and/or others. In this state we really don’t learn from our successes and mistakes… we simply spontaneously on. My point is that understanding is critically important – it is a pillar in who we are.
Granted that that last paragraph was somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but contrary to what may be believed, understanding… me is something we all do by instinct. To me, instinct isn’t enough – we need to be aware and alert. Everyone seems to want to do those (fill in the blank) that enhance who we are and not detract. Understanding… me is part and parcel to this, perhaps even the foundation for ‘self-enhancement’.
I would argue that without an understanding of ourselves, we have no basis on which to refine, grow, and become who we are. To me, the first step is understanding – all the whys and whats, and how this is expressed – has to occur before we continue on our journey of self-enhancement. Yes, there are a number of self-defeating ‘selves’ but these need a context too or there’s little chance that change and ‘correction’ can occur. As I always say… it’s our choice, our decision but without understanding – we are doomed to repeating those words and acts that we don’t want repeated. This is also a learning that should never be put off till… later.
