Self awareness comes at a price—the destruction of illusion.
Please discuss. How does this play out in life?
I’ll start us out. Most of us place a high value on being good people. And mainly we are. There are a rare few who are comfortable being unapologetically selfish, but the majority of us would like to believe we’re good.
Nothing is absolute, and that includes people’s natures. Good people sometimes do or say undesirable things. These lapses can be due to honest mistakes, misunderstandings, character quirks. Unresolved personal issues can lead to unexpected or dysfunctional behavior. Often we may not realize that some of our actions aren’t consistent with our overall persona. We may see ourselves as we would wish to be.
Particularly if we have low self-esteem, we can be undeservedly harsh with ourselves. We may focus on our perceived flaws and fail to recognize our many good characteristics. In our minds, we may see ourselves as far worse than we actually are.
Today’s message advises me that I cannot be aware of myself clearly and retain any illusions about myself. I must own both my faults and good points to hold an accurate image of who I am. I’m a human being, part of a divine whole. My behavior is often benevolent but can differ if I allow fear or anger to drive it. I’m a good person who sometimes could do better.