My Journey to Know Thyself
The unexamined life is not worth living.
- Socrates
Existentialism is about human existence and the human drama of survival and flourishing in life The retrospective ability of humans to understand that life is transient and that they will die eventually leads humans to ask existential questions such as:
- Who am I?
- What am I?
- Where did I come from?
- Where am I going?
- What is the purpose of my life?
Life is an ongoing identity crisis of self to define and redefine who we are as we go through many of life’s major transitions and upheavals – adolescence, adulthood, parenting, divorce, middle age, retirement, loss of a job, death of loved ones and more. At some point in life, whether triggered by a major turn of events or misfortune, a disillusion with the emptiness of success, or merely feelings of boredom in one’s life – the existential question of meaning will be triggered. And this is because we all have the urge and desire to live fully and to do something significant with which we will be remembered when we are gone, otherwise what is the point of living?
It turns out that our worse fear is not death, but is the discovery that we have never really lived when the time comes for us to die. To think we might have wasted a moment of our time while alive, not fully living to our fullest potential, is a fear greater than the terror of dying alone.
The ancient Delphic injunction carried into the lintel at the Temple of Apollo reads “Know Thyself”. This was inscribed some three thousand years before Christ yet still resonates with many people today. Without a clear sense of self-inquiry, we can go through life without ever knowing who we are and what we really want out of life. Heidegger (1962) refers to this as non-authentic and authentic modes of living. Non-authentic people give up their individuality and responsibility for the security of being part of a herd. In contrast, authentic people assume responsibility to live in a way that is consistent with their true nature and core values, striving to become what they were made to be in spite of anxieties and risks involved.
The challenge for each of us is that we cannot buy our authenticity and there are no shortcuts to this inward pilgrimage to discovering one’s self. The process of authentication begins with a deep knowing from within that there is something inconsistent with the way one is living their life. When that calling comes, there is a moment of awakening to this awareness followed by a deepening inquiry into core values and felt sense of identify aligned to one’s true beingness. It is in the discovery of an inner vision about one’s uniqueness and singularity that endows life with deeper meaning (Frankl, 1986).
But how does one begin this journey of self-inquiry?
The quest to discover oneself begins with discomfort in sensing a lack of authenticity in life. Sadly, few head the call because social pressures of conformity create defense mechanisms within ourselves to keep our anxieties at bay and socialization provides us an easy escape from the existential quest.
Like the hero in Joseph Campbell’s archetypal journey – the passage forward, once the call is received, is met with trials and temptations, setbacks and suffering, until the ultimate slaying of the dragon (Nietzsche, 1884) when one meets the proverbial dark shadow of their soul as it comes into the light to be faced. The quest for authenticity, that peak experience (Maslow, 1971) to achieve one’s highest purpose is not for the faint of heart, nor is it always compatible with the pursuit of happiness and living the “good life”. The stories of Jesus, Socrates and many others have taught us that to live an authentic and meaningful life means that one cannot deny his/her true nature and calling, even if it means death.
But the greatest journey of all is the road back home. Known in many indigenous ceremonies as the incorporation phase, it is only by bringing the lessons and wisdom back home to your people when the entire journey itself merits any meaning and value. When you have accomplished all this and can now help others that you have lived a full and meaningful life.
You can watch a short video about Journey to Know Myself:
