An Individual Who Does Not Know or Understand Himself
When I think about the kind of person I’m supposed to be, I get depressed. Here’s a few reasons:
- I make less money than I potentially could.
- I weigh more than I potentially should.
- I have less friends than I could.
- My clothes aren’t as cool as they should be.
- I have less twitter/google+/facebook connections than I’d like to.
- I have less blog visitors than others.
- I could be a better husband/son/brother/friend/etc.
- I read less books than I ought.
Get the picture. No matter who you are, you’re not enough of something. You’re not who you’re supposed to be. The chasm between who we are and who we’re supposed to be can be depressing. Acknowledging this chasm is the start of growth. If you don’t know yourself, you have no paradigm for acknowledging this chasm. If the core of your identity is shaky or frail, this chasm will destroy you.
In related news, I found this treasure chest of a quote nestled within the first few chapters of a book I’ve been reading:
“Today we come across an individual who behaves like an automaton, who does not know or understand himself, and the only person he knows is the person that he is supposed to be, whose meaningless chatter has replaced communicative speech, whose synthetic smile has replaced genuine laughter, and whose sense of dull despair has taken the place of genuine pain. Two statements may be said concerning this individual. One is that he suffers from defects of spontaneity and individuality which may seem to be incurable. At the same time it may be said of him he does not differ essentially from the millions of the rest of us who walk upon this earth.” ~ Erich Fromm ~
*Quote found in “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” on page 36
Love this fleshing out of a tension we all deal with. Two books came to mind. Befriending the Stranger by John Vanier (what to do when you find out you are are the stranger) and The Gift of Being Yourself by Benner.
Added to wishlist.
Guilty as charged.
I suppose this is where we need to fall back on God who is our “all in all” and Jesus who “paid it all.”
Exactly! If we don’t have a secure sense of identity (i’d suggest “child of God” as a good place to start), we crumble.
great post!! when I think those thoughts I remember: I am God’s workmanship and a new creation!
Yeah you are!!!!!!!