Tuesday 19 February 2013

Self Knowledge and Fantasy

If you were to put an ad in a newspaper, how would you describe yourself? 

You only have about 25 words in newspapers which concentrates the mind. This exercise requires self knowledge hopefully, but how well do we know ourselves?

Someone called Michael had no idea how to reply: 'I have no idea.....' I found that extraordinary. How was this possible, a man in his 60's? How could one properly BE without knowing oneself? Surely, he was intelligent, educated, had been married and had children, got divorced, and the latter usually taught you a lot more than you wished to know? Wasn't it like living blindfolded, at the mercy of others and events? I had felt moved on hearing David Blunkett speak with heart breaking honesty about his disastrous love affair 'I misread the signs': you don't need to be blind although it obviously helps. There are many ways of keeping our eyes closed, and this is where the fantasies we may have about ourselves play a part.

As an adolescent, having read Jack London, I dreamt of a tall man in a lumberjack shirt who would appear at my door, the sun shining behind him. This fantasy cost me a lot. You may have yours...........

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