Every person has their own fallacies. One of the biggest problems with personal development is that a person can never be told what their problem is and how to solve it if they are expected to grow. It’s human nature to learn things the hard way, and no matter how much you want to help those closest to you, sometimes there’s nothing you can do.
People are blind to their own problems to a much greater extent than many realize. Many people feel as if it’s easier to see things outside of the box- which is true. But it’s also true that many people who think they know their problems only know an effect of a deeper dilemma. If that person knew what his issue was, he would fix it. Sure, you’re thinking of your own problems right now and telling yourself that you know what they are- you just don’t know how to fix them. But the truth of the matter is that your “problem” isn’t actually the problem itself, it is your response to an underlying cause- or your coping mechanism. This whole instinctual system is an obstacle to problem solving itself, and one of societies major predicaments. You can only see the end of the river, if you knew where it started; you would dam that source in an instant.
I have some friends who would benefit from this knowledge. Not enough of my friends here at college are very self-aware. Many of them have devastating tendencies that handicap their life daily. Being at an engineering school, the general issue is entrenchment. Engineers like routine, they hate anything that gets in the way of it and will remove obstacles in any way possible. Everything is dissolved down to efficiency, and with efficiency comes the destruction of tradition and those special superfluous additions to life that make every day feel special. That’s how I stand apart from many of my peers- I embrace tradition and care more about details than the message itself.
With this epiphany came damage to my social structure: some friends are no longer as close to me as they once were. At first, even just the idea of this was enough to be emotionally devastating. As time wears on, I have adjusted to the situation, found new friends to grow close to, and have realized who my true friends are. I have reached a social stability that has allowed me to continue on despite everything that is happening. My metrics have changed, and I no longer worry about what I used to. Each day brings it's own epiphanies and life has renewed meaning.
Next time when you find yourself lost, look at your problem, and ask yourself “why?”. If you can answer that question ask it again, and keep asking it until it doesn’t make any sense to ask it any more. Chances are, you’ll get stuck somewhere along the way and think that it doesn’t make sense to continue. But really you’re only a couple of layers into that onion and you’re going to have to dig much deeper to reach the core. Realizing this is the first step on a long journey of self-actualization.
People are blind to their own problems to a much greater extent than many realize. Many people feel as if it’s easier to see things outside of the box- which is true. But it’s also true that many people who think they know their problems only know an effect of a deeper dilemma. If that person knew what his issue was, he would fix it. Sure, you’re thinking of your own problems right now and telling yourself that you know what they are- you just don’t know how to fix them. But the truth of the matter is that your “problem” isn’t actually the problem itself, it is your response to an underlying cause- or your coping mechanism. This whole instinctual system is an obstacle to problem solving itself, and one of societies major predicaments. You can only see the end of the river, if you knew where it started; you would dam that source in an instant.
I have some friends who would benefit from this knowledge. Not enough of my friends here at college are very self-aware. Many of them have devastating tendencies that handicap their life daily. Being at an engineering school, the general issue is entrenchment. Engineers like routine, they hate anything that gets in the way of it and will remove obstacles in any way possible. Everything is dissolved down to efficiency, and with efficiency comes the destruction of tradition and those special superfluous additions to life that make every day feel special. That’s how I stand apart from many of my peers- I embrace tradition and care more about details than the message itself.
With this epiphany came damage to my social structure: some friends are no longer as close to me as they once were. At first, even just the idea of this was enough to be emotionally devastating. As time wears on, I have adjusted to the situation, found new friends to grow close to, and have realized who my true friends are. I have reached a social stability that has allowed me to continue on despite everything that is happening. My metrics have changed, and I no longer worry about what I used to. Each day brings it's own epiphanies and life has renewed meaning.
Next time when you find yourself lost, look at your problem, and ask yourself “why?”. If you can answer that question ask it again, and keep asking it until it doesn’t make any sense to ask it any more. Chances are, you’ll get stuck somewhere along the way and think that it doesn’t make sense to continue. But really you’re only a couple of layers into that onion and you’re going to have to dig much deeper to reach the core. Realizing this is the first step on a long journey of self-actualization.
Interesting article. However, I'm a little confused about how "embrac[ing] tradition" and "car[ing] more about details than the message itself" leads to "damag[ing]" your "social structure," and losing friends. People with different ideologies can definitely still be friends. For example, almost all of my friends have different political views than me, and yet we are some of the closest people you can find. A little extrapolation would be nice
ReplyDelete@Brusher
ReplyDeleteThis realization lead to a change in my core values. And when my core values shifted so did many different parts of my life. One of them was my social structure. Looking at it as "damaging", is admittedly very pessimistic, especially when compared to the end result.
I believe that people with different ideologies can be friends, some of my closer friends are people that I disagree with very strongly on some very simple things. When I say "tradition" I'm not referring to Christmas dinner-- I'm referring to those simple things that shape a friendship. Usually they are actions: like a conversation over lunch or a walk down to class every morning. When something like this disappears a friendship can drift apart if one person was invested more in that event than the other.