Self-awareness
Notes
Claim
Self awareness, aka "know thyself", is to be aware of your personality traits, your thoughts, reasons for your actions or emotions. If Introspection develops self-knowledge through internal examination is the tool, self awareness is the outcome of using it.
Explanation
Without self awareness, it is easy, if not obligatory, that we become slaves to our desires or others' influence. Without knowing who you are, what kind of life you want, what are your values and which thoughts or habits are holding you back, in what sense do you have Agency is the ability to connect desires and actions?
Choosing a direction without knowing where you want to go is useless. In the same sense, we can't have Acting in alignment with your values is authenticity without self awareness. Because to act according to who you are requires knowing that.
Why it matters
When we know ourselves, we take the first step towards liberating ourselves from what holds us back Free will is knowledge. We can be intentional about our actions, without falling into traps such as We attribute our emotions to others and misread theirs or simply going with our gut.
When we know ourselves, it is much easier to approach life with Humility is acknowledging limits of knowledge and fallibility, to know exactly when your knowledge ends so that you won't act or assume to know things that you don't. You are also much more likely to be happy Happiness is contentment, because how would you live a life that aligns with your identity if you don't know who you are.
Lastly, having self knowledge would also make you more efficient, because you will know what your strengths and weaknesses are Finding your unique strength creates sustainable advantage.
Examples
Supporters
It is said that understanding ourselves goes hand in hand with understanding others Understanding others requires attributing mental states like beliefs and intentions to them.
Opposers
Open questions
Visual
Overview
🔼Topic:: Self-Tracking and Reflection ◀Origin:: 🔗Link::