Know Thyself

There is one thing that I desire more than anything, and that is self-knowledge.

Self-mastery is a superpower known since Antiquity: “know thyself.” Or as Socrates puts it: “the unexamined life is not worth living.” It’s the single greatest social ladder we have, how shepherds become kings and queens.

Being a stranger to yourself is a great crime, because he who fails to understand himself has no control: he is unable to stay still or offer his best. Worse, he tends toward self-destruction.

Self-mastery can be divided into 3 categories: mind, body, and soul. All are important: there is no healthy mind without a healthy body, and life without purpose is without joy.

There is no unique way to learn how to know ourselves. We can only keep doing and keep trying, no matter how painful it becomes. 

It’s not a lonely journey, quite the contrary. We need solitude to think, of course, but we also need friends who will act as the mirrors of our soul. There is no choosing between the two, both are necessary.

What’s more, it’s a never-ending journey. We can never be all-knowing, only a little bit more aware of ourselves and the world around us: “I know that I know nothing”.