Ponderment of The Self

While nervously struggling to uphold a judicious appearance, you gently but cautiously stride your steps toward the lady of tonight’s date�"one whom you have been inconceivably keen of chatting with. You tenderly set down and trigger the tête-à-tête with your name�"the tag of your individuality, she follows with her designation, smiles and breaks the ice with an inquiry�"a rather flummoxing one, “Tell me about you, who are you?”. At first glance such inquisition seems innocently unpretentious, hence one would feel perspicacious about confidently offering a rejoinder for it, but could one truly offer a scrupulous and fulfilling definition of their self?

Coming to terms of acknowledgment toward ones-self is indeed an imperative stipulation for a merriment life. Hence, numerous means were devised to meticulously figure the definition of the self, most notable would be the comprehension of the facets that sum it up. However, while pondering such facets, one would expeditiously succumb to a comically ludicrous realization, “there exists no stable foundation of a self, it’s ever-changing”.

Ever since childhood, you have been a constant subject to alteration, both physically and mentally. The food you vigorously detested is now amongst the utmost of hardcore cravings, the deeds you previously claimed to shy from notwithstanding any reasoning have seemingly been transpired to daily occurrences. The psychological fluctuations you experienced and are still undergoing prevents an unchangeable definition to ever be formed. And although some may argue that certain cores of a façade to be fixed and invincible in the face of any influence, I would dare say those cores while harder to alter�"are far from invulnerable and as the impetus emitting from the ever-changing pieces of culture grows and influence deepens those cores are bound to palpably be modified to enhance our adaptability.

However, the application of any change, regardless of how superfluous, requires time. Thus, you can still attempt to uncover your current state of mind�"your current state of self. The aspects that currently sets you uniquely from the world. The American scientist Margaret Mead said “Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else.” We are all influenced differently, and hence adapt differently, and that’s reasoning behind the variation of all mankind philosophies, partialities and perspectives. You may be wondering, “I know myself, what’s more, to uncover? I have been one with it for years.”. To “know” yourself is far different from to know “about” yourself, the two statements pose distinctive forms of identification. Knowing yourself excludes the information of your nationality, name, family, origin, degree, religion., it is information about the naked mind, it’s the recognition of ambitions, insecurities, flaws, advantages and preferences.

For the ancient Greeks, knowing ones-self is an extraordinary prestigious characteristic that could quite literally be framed as life’s purpose, thus the unearthing of the self is factually the meaning of life. Lacking the exquisite quality of self-understanding�"would leave one to wander aimlessly, incapable of carrying a life of serenity and will be constantly and cruelly bombarded with self-deprecating thoughts, because there’s no real self to identify their-selves with, or at least one that they are yet to conscious of.