Joe! Thanks for this hearty and thorough response. It really has me thinking. The refrain of "know thyself" is echoing through my ears/mind.

RR
January 24, 2012 09:44 AM

It is well known in Classical Philosophy that the Sages of Ancient Greece, including Socrates, advocated that a Greek citizen should strive for the personal aspiration to “Know Thyself.” In fact, over 2400 years ago on the front (forecourt) of the famous Apollo Temple at Delphi the words, “Know Thyself” are inscribed in Greek at the top of the building. (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia For other uses, see Know thyself (disambiguation).Gnothi seauton redirects here. For other uses see Gnothi seauton (disambiguation). The Ancient Greek aphorism "Know thyself", Greek: γνῶθι σεαυτόν, English phonetics pronunciation: gnōthi seauton (also ... σαυτόν ... sauton with the ε contracted), was inscribed in the pronaos (forecourt) of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi according to the Greek periegetic (travelogue) writer Pausanias (10.24.1).[1]
The maxim, or aphorism, "Know Thyself" has had a variety of meanings attributed to it in literature. The Suda, a tenth century encyclopedia of Greek Knowledge, says: "the proverb is applied to those whose boasts exceed what they are,"[2] and that "know thyself" is a warning to pay no attention to the opinion of the multitude.[3] In Latin, the aphorism is generally given as nosce te ipsum.[4)
According to Plato in his Dialogues in the “Apology of Socrates,” Socrates declared at his trial in 399 B.C. that the unexamined life was not worth living. (Burnet, 1980) If we can appreciate these exhortations for self awareness, personal introspection and examination from the Greek Philosophers of 2410+ years ago in order to apply them to our contemporary world, I definitely would agree with them, including Socrates, about self-awareness as long as we include awareness of the body in this work of self-knowing as the full way to the truth. As the old saying goes, “pride cometh before the fall.” I say that to know oneself fully as a complete human being means to be aware of and in touch with “thy” whole organismic being encompassed by one’s body. For me this involves being aware of my sensations, feelings, thoughts, unique personality style, individuality, behavior and my spirit. We need to learn to listen to our bodies as well as to our minds. Since you do not exist in isolation in the world, to know myself fully also involves appreciating how you presently exist with others and our environment. So we need to ask ourselves what is happening with our necessary relational connections with others. How aware am I about what I need to survive and thrive as a social & emotional being in a world of others? How do I get along with others in my personal growth & support group for mutual help? How do I get along with others in my daily life to meet my emotional and social needs? What are the conditions of my present family relations? How do I get along with people with whom I work?

January 23, 2012 10:55 AM