Self-knowledge: the Master Key
Self-knowledge is not needed to be proficient in any discipline of knowledge—all one needs is the five senses supported by the mind. Thus, one can be an expert in any number of fields and still continue to be ignorant about oneself. Similarly, one may be the most well-known person in the world and still unknown to oneself. What we usually call knowledge is the knowledge about the objects, about the things other than our self. Self-knowledge is the knowledge about the knower. While one uses perception and inference to know the objective world, by what means should one know the knower?—that is the question of questions.
The paradox of paradoxes is that self-knowledge does not bestow any obvious advantages in the practical sense. Since self-knowledge is not really required to function well in the world, one may remain blissfully ignorant of oneself, even though outwardly being very knowledgeable and successful. And yet, “the unexamined life, Socrates reminds us, “is not worth living.” To see this point clearly is a great step on the path to self-knowledge. The wisdom traditions of the world recommend several methods that can serve as good catalysts for self-knowledge, such as self-remembering and self-inquiry.
To know the self is to study the self. To study the self is to be the self. To be the self is to know the self. Descartes famous dictum states: Cogito ergo sum—I think, therefore, I am. Vedānta says: Sum ergo Cogito—Be and you will know. One really marvels at Shakespeare’s penetrating insight, in Hamlet’s famous soliloquy: “To be or not to be—that is the question.”
If self-knowledge does not bestow any special advantage, then why should one know oneself at all? A little reflection will show that our ‘self’ is the most constant factor underlying all our experiences—wherever we go, there we are. Some people speak about finding oneself as if one can really lose oneself. And no matter how far we travel, we cannot really get away from ourselves. While what we seek keeps on changing, the seeker in us continues to be the same.
Self-knowledge tells us that the seeker is the sought. The following folk tale illustrates the point splendidly:
Lost Donkey?
A man bought 4 donkeys and rode home on one of them.
When he reached home, his wife came out to greet him.
While sitting on one donkey, he started counting and found he had only 3 donkeys.
He said to his wife that he was missing one donkey!
His wife asked him, “How many donkeys did you buy?
He said, “I bought four, but now I only see three.”
His wife smiled and said: “I see five!”
The man in the story is Mulla Nasruddin Hodja, a populist philosopher, and a consummate jester. He is known to poke fun at our incongruities, using himself as an example. Our self is “like” the 4th donkey: We have been at it all along, but fail to recognize what is right underneath us. Enjoy the ride. 🙂
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