Why the urge to improve yourself

in #alanwatts7 years ago

Your life is a symbol of everything the universe has created, perhaps you see yourself as an outsider an element just completes the variables, it is a puzzle why you think your life is just so different compared to what is actually taking place on the cosmic scale. You relaise the sub atomic particles that coalesced to create the universe, is indeed the very same particles that have created you.

You are the universe, do not try to change that. The universe created you in the image of itself, You cannot be two separate entities, all matter and energy are from the same force that gives air to lungs. You are after all a very uniqie creation and the universe is yet unfinished in making you complete, That is something you are going to let yourself be free of all the materilistic and illusions that have clearly manifested it self in the form of culture, society and most of all your ego. Let yourself be different than what someone else is telling you to become. You are not born to become an idol to someone, you cannot look at youself and say why can't I be better like that guy, when infact you have to understand the guy you try to idolise is just rear image of yourself and your ego has decided that you two are separte. Ego can be a very good thing to have only when the time in life is right, but that will decided.

Ask youserlf the question why do I want to better myself in life, The very act of me improving myself i might actually be downgrading myself and getting in the way of myself. nature did not create me to compete, It was not in life that I can decide to get ahead of myself, the very act could turn me into something I do not want it is a paradigm everyone must compete to succeed but there is another way around it, don't try to improve yourself in this world by competing with your mind, but look at it by how can you better yourself in your heart rather than your mind.

It is infact your heart that plays the vital role in you becoming someone better, and when you improve that you will see your life was indeed a vibration that keeps on ringing.

Never Change your HJuUIVid-.jpegeart Change your Mind

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Hi @emran-mcs, thanks for sharing. A question I have is what is the difference between 'self-improvement' and 'self-actualisation?' As you say we often are 'getting in the way of myself.' I find many philosophies emphasise bottom-up (evolution) or top-down (involution) theories, is it possible that both are happening at once?

Hi there @contemplate, there are many ways of looking in the two, various authors have illustrated some great work on the concepts of self-improvement and self-actualisation. for me personally i look at the both of me intrinsic, it really comes from with in you. for starter lets take self actualisation, A person can only self actualise when the individual has found deeper value and higher purpose in life, but to acquire this the individual must have the basic needs in life, this is food, shelter, love and sense of belonging in life and a purpose. for example an orchestra artist can only reach his true potential once all his basic needs in life are met, the end goal towards self actualising is reaching your true potential in life acquiring the highest from of knowledge, skill, or success. this is not a challenge by any means, it is has been said that even the mentally ill can reach self actualisation, you simply do not have to have the everything good in life to self actualise, but to once you begin to relaise what yor are capable of by harnassing your true potential, when yourself being more than just a normal person, than you truely have self actualised.
The act of self improvement i see this as a way to better yourself by ego or by self esteem, maybe the right term is self reflective that what you really need to do in life. I don't know but many people don't relaise this each day in your life you are self improving, Your life is learning curve, you see you only have to expereince the mistakes that you have made and think that is not something you should change yourself, but the opportunity to learn and acquire knowledge, that is the only self improvement once can have.

Feel free to ask whatever question you have.
Best regards

Recently, I wrote about an integrative philosophy: https://steemit.com/philosophy/@contemplate/integrative-philosophy-introduction and I am still contemplating the evolution and involution piece and it seems that seldom are the 2 discussed together, frequently physics will describe emergent properties etc. but seldom in western philosophies. I think you are hinting at Maslow's hierarchy of needs above and this is very useful as it illustrates actuals and also potentials.

If we step outside this conversation for a moment and view some other steemit posts, there will be far more articles on how to improve, self-improvement, etc. and that is all OK.

The challenge is if this is the ego trying to fortify itself and I think with self actualisation, at some point there has be a letting go of this self in order for a deeper self to 'appear.' Thoughts?

Following and will check out your physics posts as well.