Know Thyself
I’m sure a philosophy student out there has a greater understanding of what this statement means in its original context, but my layman view of this is that it is timeless, able to transcend generations. “Know thyself” is as applicable today as it was when first thought of in the 5th century BC.
Looking back at my life up to this point, with the limited view that I have, there were no significant spans of time where I was forced to sit with myself, live with myself, by myself. Being alone, living alone, is quite lonely, as I’ve mentioned recently, but the positive out of doing so is the chance to get uncomfortable and figure one’s self out.
From ages 0-21 my identity was wrapped up in my parents and brother. Which mostly meant Church. Lots and lots of Church.
From 21-35 my identity was wrapped up in my wife and son. Which mostly meant, well, being a husband and father.
Now, from 35-38, I have had to, in most areas, rebuild a life. It was humbling to live back at my parents for a few months in early 2021. It was exciting to move into my own apartment in June 1st of that year, but then terrifying on June 2nd.
I have lived, worked, slept, and stumbled around a few times, in this 700 or so square foot studio apartment for just about 3 years now and I have had to really get into my head to understand who I am, who I was, and who I want to be.
A lot of this work (mostly done via writing) involved going back in time to see if there was any fragments of personal identity in my past that I could build from. I did find a few that had long been forgotten. I took those and applied them to who I am now and by doing so, which sounds easier than it actually was, believe I have a solid picture of who the heck Aaron is. For now, I have a sense of what I want in and out of life, what I believe, how I best operate in work and personal situations, and what all of this means for a day to day life that doesn’t feel so jolted.
This is the current state of mind for now and I expect it to change as I continue to age for as long as I have left on this Earth.
Pretty nice feeling to have, very nice state of mind to be in. Kinda weird though too, very new to me :-)
That’s it for Tuesday. Have a good one!
~ Aaron
Grateful log for Tue, 26 Mar 2024
- A great time making dinner and then sitting down for dinner last night.
- Have been doing really good lately with keeping healthy evening wind-down, sleep, and morning routines.
- The sense that, for now, I “know thyself.”
I have lived, worked, slept, and stumbled around a few times, in this 700 or so square foot studio apartment for just about 3 years now and I have had to really get into my head to understand who I am, who I was, and who I want to be.