Reaching for Consciousness: Self-Indulgent or Essential?
"The unexamined life is not worth living"
Or so ancient Greek philosopher Socrates famously observed.
Almost 2,500 years later, the self-improvement and self-awareness industry is a 50-billion dollar affair, with thousands of (self-proclaimed) gurus standing by with wisdom, books, lectures, retreats and much more to help you unlock the true purpose and meaning of life.
Sometimes, I have to wonder whether this pervasive effort to engage in reflection and self-inquiry is an essential part of getting to live a happy and meaningful life or actually just really self-indulgent.
I know my grandparents' generation certainly didn't pay much attention to "self-improvement." You were born, you were weaned, you were schooled, you worked, you had kids, you retired, you died... and that was pretty much that. While "happiness" was definitely a thing, it was largely treated as a happy coincidence (fringe benefit) rather than a tangible objective in being alive.
"Meaning" wasn't exactly part of the picture. You just "stuck to" whatever your lot was, and made the most of it. If your situation was truly hateful, you quit and found a better gig.
Sure, we had a few poets and philosphers in our family, but they were often looked at askance and considered slightly odd. At the very least, they thought too much and did too little.
That was "back then," but even so, there are lots of people in the world who consider the whole idea of "knowing yourself" to be superfluous woo-woo only practiced by New Agers and old Hippies.
If you don't feel good, go work out for an hour and it'll clear your head!
The snarky (unconscious!) side of me want to add the sidebar comment "and then they are all mystified by WHY they have urges to commit suicide at 33, even while showing off those sixpack abs..."
I started down the road of self-examination and "finding myself" as a teenager... primarily because I was strongly aware that I "didn't fit the mold" for life in the same way of those around me... and I figured there had to be a reason for that, and subsequently some kind of "antidote."
No such luck, of course.
There's a difference between something you can cure, and something you can only manage and live with.
It's very easy to reach for the idea that you're "defective" when you don't really fit in... because there are — after all — a myriad syndromes and dysfunctions you can sink into and live behind a veil of non-stop pity parties that isolate you (at least in your mind) from the buffeting winds of life.
And it takes some courage and determination to just stand up and say "Yeah, well, this is ME, and you might not like it or relate to it, but I am managing to make my way through life, so lay off with the judgments!"
Part of the process is fully identifying, and then understanding and finally embracing the genuine weaknesses or shortcomings you might have, in comparison to what the world considers "typical..." and then you work with that.
The mistake I see many make is insisting that they are entitled to different treatment because their psyches and lives don't fall within "the lines."
Sure, I get it: everyone wants to be special. But being seen as "special" isn't something you get to demand, it's something you get to earn.
As far as the whole "examining your life" goes, I do believe it is essential, IF your purpose is truly to better yourself and your situation by understanding what makes you tick. But if you're just looking for reasons to get "special handling?" Not so much...
Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you're having a wonderful Christmas — and if you're not celebrating, just have a wonderful week!
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Created at 2025.12.24 23:59 PST
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