KNOWING YOURSELF

“From here that looks like a bucket of water. But from an ant’s point of view, it’s a vast ocean, and from an elephant’s point of view, it is just a cool drink; and then of course to a fish, its home.”
 

The above quotation by Norton Juster, the American-born architect, academic and popular author, best known as a writer of children’s books, very effectively addresses one of the most essential requisites in our successful understanding of living to our best ability. In a very basic and simplistic manner, he was able to demonstrate clearly and effectively, the completely contrasting perspectives possible by different observers faced with the same situation. At the same time he successfully illustrates the importance of knowing yourself, and equally, the need for everyone else to develop and understand their special individual perspective. And then applying it constantly in everything they do.

An individual’s perspective, what he knows of himself, is the composite which results from everything he sees, or hears or experiences in any way at all. It is specific to him and cannot be transferred or copied in any manner or form. It ensures that his reaction to any situation is completely controlled by him. Clearly, the image he sees of himself, from his own perspective, is invariably very different from the image others perceive of him. It is this difference which, to a large extent, actually determines the behavior of others toward him and his behavior toward others.

Indeed perception is everything in life. For not only does it play a vital role in the decisions taken by the individual, but also, and equally importantly, it determines how successful he will be in interacting with others in his environment. Therefore, without truly knowing exactly who you are, you cannot hope to relate correctly with your environment. As the quotation illustrates, there is a vast difference between the perspective of an Ant, an Elephant and a Fish toward a common bucket of water, and hence there should be an equally vast difference in the approach of each in dealing with the bucket. It would be impossible for the ant to understand the Elephant’s perspective, and equally, the Elephant to understand the Ant’s approach, but together, armed with the correct perspectives; they can both appreciate the situation and recognize that the fish will have an altogether different perspective.

 This very simple illustration demonstrates the importance of fully understanding and applying one’s perspective in any situation. For it is the absence of such knowledge that is the root cause of so much unnecessary misunderstanding and misinterpretation that is taking place and giving rise to so much anger and destruction in the society. Clearly, without fully knowing ourselves, we will, and in fact are continuing to cause dissension, alienation and animosity, often without intending to do so.

But being able to know yourself is neither automatic nor is it easy to accomplish. The great ancient Chinese master, Lao-tsu, drew attention to this when he reminded us that:

“He who knows others is learned;
     He who knows himself is wise.”

He implied that it required more than simple knowledge to really know about yourself. It demands acquiring the fundamental insights about yourself to truly determine your strengths as well as your weaknesses. To be able to know the length to which you can go and equally the point beyond which you may not. It demands the ability to be aggressive when appropriate and yet be able to submit or withdraw when the situation calls for this action. It means being willing to stand fast to principles, but at the same time being flexible to admit when you are wrong.

         Unfortunately, most of us tend to take the idea of “knowing yourself” for granted and use it without really giving full consideration to its implications. Many of us spend our time reacting to situations impulsively, without examining the implications of our actions. We go along with the crowd in herd fashion, just doing and thinking what the others are doing. We prefer to follow along, rather than stopping long enough to make conscious choices or to ascertain what is best for us. When we do this, when we stop trying to understand ourselves and what’s best for us, we end up losing sight of our direction and not choosing the best course for ourselves. Under these circumstances, it is not difficult to understand why so many people are not able to set goals, or lack the motivation to search out new directions. They invariably end up lost, without the ability to find their best course for themselves.

Each individual creates his own “personal universe” based on his own perception, and his behavior is entirely dependent on how well he understands his universe. Being able to see oneself correctly from one’s own perspective can allow one to interact successfully with others, irrespective of the situation. It really does not matter if others have perspectives that do not necessarily coincide. What matters above all else, is that any interaction that results, is based on the realistic perceptions by each individual. This is the only way to ensure a level playing field and an amicable conclusion. Only when this is achieved can it be expected that any further interactions within the environment will have a much better chance of successful outcome.

Bruce Lee, the great Chinese born, American actor, director, martial arts exponent, scholar and philosopher, in discussing relationships among different people, very precisely explained the importance of truly knowing yourself when he advised:

“Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself.

Do not go out and look for a successful person and copy him.”

One of the greatest disappointments of mankind is that he has not yet learnt to know himself, nor is he willing to make the effort to do so. For knowing who you are is paramount in fulfilling his true destiny. Instead he still prefers to choose the easier road of copying, or just following others and continues expecting to get good results.

- Is it any surprise therefore that the world continues to be in such turmoil and that people remain so distrusting and resentful of one another?

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