"Know yourself"

[CB_Catholic]

I think knowing yourself is imperative, but the only way to truly know yourself is to have a relationship with God. He knows us intimately and thoroughly and when we are in an open and honest relationship with Him, He will reveal His knowledge of ourselves to us. This is how we grow spiritually and personally and are transformed by Him into the person He intends us to be. This is how we learn how to love ourselves truly, which leads to love of neighbor, because you cannot truly give that what you do not have.

God sees us as we truly are, not as we may see ourselves and can develop the good in us, which we may not see, and remove the bad in us, which we also may not see. So if we surrender ourselves to God and are willing to cooperate, we will come to know ourselves as we should and hopefully become the authentic person God intends us to be. It will be slow and often painful, but shedding the false images we have of ourselves will lead us into a closer relationship with God and ultimately to our eternal reward.

 

[bcuster]

Ummm.
You should definitely know yourself. By studying the person, the mind, the body, the soul – all of these things separately and together, we can begin to understand who we are.

In order to properly love our neighbor, we have to understand and love ourselves. “Love thy neighbor as thyself” only has meaning if we first love ourselves. In order to properly love ourselves in manners of dignity, self-respect, life purpose, blessings, beauty, emotion, etc etc. ---- we must understand who we are, where we come from (distant ancestor, closer family, science, etc).
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I agree with the above reply. We have to take the time to understand and love ourselves. “The unexamined life is not worth living.” (a quote I have heard a lot, but I cannot remember who said it first). I am not talking about “Navel Gazing” which translates into modern day as “It’s all about me.” Part of this self-knowledge is part of the natural human development. You will know more about yourself at 50 (hopefully) than you did at 25.

This is what I have learned about the process. God who is creator knows me. He has the owners manual. The more I learn about God and his plan for me the more I will know myself. God’s plan includes my being in relationship with God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It includes being in relationship with my family and all creation. (Did you know that the human brain grows and develops in response to human interaction? It is amazing that relationship is built in to us!) If I focus all my energy on myself or on my perspective, or my opinion, or my, my, my… I do not grow. If I relate with my family, my co-workers, my fellow parishioners, my children (especially children) I learn loads of important stuff about myself. When I encounter God in prayers, the sacraments, scripture, and in community I learn of my true worth, of God’s immense, unfathomable love for me–dust though I am.

I know myself by reaching out to God who created me. I know myself by learning God’s plan for me. I know myself by Loving my Neighbor…

 

[Dameedna]

I agree absolutely you need to know yourself.

There is a story in the bible, I’m sorry i can’t quote it. But it is about women going into the dark. Three women prepare the oil in their lamps and three don’t. When the three who don’t have their oil, ask for help from the others it is refuted.

This, in a christian sense seems wrong, but the point of the story is that the women with the oil were going out into the night to meet God.

IE, no-one can prepare you for God. You have to do the work yourself. I love that story, because it really struck a chord in me, and helped highlight that the most important thing, was working on who I was, so I could be a better person.

I cannot say how many times in my life, I’ve believed myself to be correct, or “right” about something, only to research more, think more and find I draw a different conclusion.

I then question my own thinking and why I went down the path I did. When I do that, I see the mistakes I’ve made and make an effort to correct them, the attitude that caused it and hope that I reach another challenge that will teach me more.

A person who does not try to know themselves, is possibly being lazy or they are under the impression that being a servant of god requires no thinking. I don’t agree with that. It is easier to let some-one else tell you who you are, and what you should be.

But they can’t do the work for you. Since it’s God you will one day face, do a bit of homework on who and what you are.

I find it very exciting if not a little scary. The more I learn about myself, the more I suspect God wants more from me, than I feel I’m capable of. But…he will continue to push won’t he? hehe

Thanks for that God I appreciate it.

 

[THEODOOR]

I think that it is essential that we try to know and understand ourselves. Only then will we be able to see through our disguised motives.

I think it says somewhere " Remove first the log from of your own eye before you remove the splinter from your brother’s eye" or similar.

 

[beckycmarie]

Doesn’t knowing ourselves come as part of the process of growing in our relationship with God through prayer?

 

[THEODOOR]

II think that you are right, although I find that the hard way, because for me it means a lot of meditation and no direct response.

I need help from other sources. Like a talk about ethical dilemmas, and questions like are you in this instance selfish, or greedy.

I bumped into an article about the Beatitudes that helps me a lot. It is titled “What the Beatitudes teach”
hoover.org/publications/policyreview/8810342.html

I ‘ll put the part that affected me most here.

Here Jesus proposes a different hierarchy. To see whom he elevates in the Beatitudes, it may be helpful to conjure a list of qualities opposite to the ones he lists. Cumulatively, what emerges from this collection of “anti-Beatitudes” is a portrait of a privileged class, one that sees those below as essentially inferior.
• For “the poor in spirit,” the opposite number might be someone arrogant in his righteousness and sense of superiority. ( Am I sometimes arrogant in this sense)• For “those who mourn,” we can substitute those whom the world has given cause for rejoicing.
• For “the gentle,” the overbearing. (Do I still push my opinion down peoples ‘throat?)• For “those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,” we may find a contrast in those who are complacent on account of their privileges and defend them vigorously.
• For “the merciful,” the unforgiving, perhaps the cruel: those who, when they have an advantage over another, even a temporary one, don ’t hesitate to exploit it.
• Opposite “the pure in heart” are those who are cunning in pursuit of their private gain.
• Opposite “the peacemakers” are those who act to create or aggravate conflict.
• Opposite “those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness” are those doing the persecuting, as opposite “you when people insult you . . . because of me” are those seeking to put down Jesus’s teaching and those who follow it.
The stuff in brackets is mine.
What do you reckon?

 

[noumenon]

Noumenon, you forget the second of the four words inscribed over the temple of Apollo at Delphi.

The first is, “Know Yourself” (gnoste seauton).

The second is “Nothing to Excess” (miden agan).

That is why we don’t devote everything solely to knowing ourselves. It would be excessive.

“TOO MUCH OF ANYTHING CAN CAN MAKE A MIND LOOSE FOCUS.” If you don’t understand let wisdom execute itself in your mind.(?) The average mind would rather assume the chemical equation of the most complexed matter, why? Maybe because it’s in human nature to exalt the mind by way of bringing about carnal knowlegde. A mind must familiarize itself with the contents found within(THE SPIRIT?),and then the alignmet of SPIRIT<SOUL<BODY, <<<UNITY of a TRINITY=PEACE…When a brain is fully developed it would be wise to know its capability,capacity and limits by knowing this the ability to reason is synchronized with common thought.Why is fastening significant? (UNITE)
Touchme.

 

[Whadyamean]

Because there are more important things, like loving God with your everything and loving your neighbor neighbor as yourself. Knowing yourself is important, but it should be far from your first, much less only, priority.

Then why did it say above the Temple "Gnothi Seauton? Every useful method of actual spiritual practice, from Advaita to Zen recommends some kind of protocol that defeats the mind’s ceaseless manufacture of speculation of past and future in psychological time and the internal dialogue that is a phenomenal time waster and illusion maker. Do you really think you know what it is that you love God and your neighbor with? If you really look, you might just discover that you are currently living an entertainment in flatland. Of course you have no choice but to deny this; the brain is built to make you think you must be right, no matter what, even unto death. That is why it is vital to go beyond the “evidence” of your habitual thinking. How to do this? “Know yourSelf!”