Socrates vs. Wilde + the Self

 

Psych & Such    |    21 May 2021

Socrates is credited with saying, "To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom."

Sooo...if I'm understanding this right, if I want to be a wise woman in the future, then all I need to do today is get to know myself?  Sign me up!  Sign EVERYONE up!  The idea itself appears easy enough to execute; however, why do so many of us struggle with achieving authentic self-awareness, self-acceptance, and self-discovery?

Many years later, Oscar Wilde responded to Socrates with, "'Know thyself' was written over the portal of the antique world. Over the portal of the new world, 'Be thyself' shall be written.'"

Wilde may have insight as to why we struggle.  How can we know ourselves fully and truly if we aren't genuinely being ourselves?

Today, how can you show up at work, with your family, and during your errands in a way that represents your real being? Your soul? Your inner self?  Then, maybe (just maybe) once you are being yourself, you will no longer struggle to know thyself...