What Do You Mean “Know Thy Self”?

We humans are social animals. From our very meager beginnings as hunter – gatherers we have banded together for our mutual safety and support. Social interaction is as intimate to us as the genes that determine our eye color and sex. Given the 7 billion individuals that populate the earth you would think that social isolation would be a near impossibility. But au contraire, technological advances seem to be driving an ever wider wedge between the individual and the rest of humanity increasing a sense of emptiness. Just as psychological health cannot be separated from our physical well-being neither can the individual be separated from society. Recent scientific findings pertaining to us humans on multiple and varied levels, for instance neuroscience, psychology, and even physics, have eliminated the option of isolation. (If you are interested in exploring this topic further might I suggest reading: Grow or Die by George Land, Who’s in Charge? by Michael S. Gazzaniga, The Happiness Hypothesis by James Flint.) Why is it then that so many of us feel disconnected? How is it that we can be surrounded by friends and family and still feel alone, as if something essential has been lifted from our life?

There is an answer. Just as vital as knowing and loving others, we must know and love our Self. Just as opposites create the whole, yin and yang, activity and silence, the one and the many, it is inner and outer love that makes us whole. Throughout life almost all our efforts are directed outward gathering together the parts of our lives; relationships, jobs, education, entertainment, and so on. We have evidently forgotten the one thing in our life that enlivens meaning to all the others, to life itself. Oddly enough our gluttony for the “things” of the world has left us inwardly malnourished.

The solution is simple – Know Thy Self! Once this was a natural and spontaneous process from a much quieter time. This simple dictum has become the forgotten mantra of the modern age. To know thy Self is not difficult as many might have you believe. It is not something you must learn, so much as remember. The instruction booklet is already there in your genes. (To learn more about the simple process of finding your Self go to: www.kinslowsystem.com)

Once you find your way back to your inner essence what then? That too is simple. To know You is to love You. Yes, it’s true! You don’t have to try to love yourself. (See chapter 8, Living at the Bottom of Your Mind, from the book Eufeeling! The Art of Creating Inner Peace and Outer Prosperity.) Just becoming aware that you exist in a pure and unadulterated state is enough. Think of how spontaneously joyful it is falling in love with a newborn child. That too, like loving your Self, is an innate and vital part of your inner makeup. Once you find and fall in love with your Self you must share that love with the rest of the world. Knowing your Self and interacting with others creates a wholeness greater than the sum of its parts. Your sense of isolation dissipates and your exuberance to share what you know about who you are completes the circuit… and all of creation is electrified.