What do I see when I look in the mirror?
This is a critical question for us to ask ourselves all throughout life. I am asking this myself now that I am about to turn 70.
The answer to this question tells me a lot about how I see myself. In the end, that is what I consider crucial rather than comparing myself to some arbitrary conceptions that the world may tell me to measure up to.
Here’s the usual answer that I identify.
For the most part, I am delighted with what I see, clothed or unclothed.
No, I don’t see the well-shaped and muscular Marine that I was nearly 50 years ago, I figure that I had my days in that image and body, but time has changed me physically and emotionally.
But, here’s the thing. The changes that result in how …show more content…
For example, if we are overweight or underweight there is a prescribed meaning and judgement that attend, universally. But that prescription does not equate to “Truth”. Well, it might represent Society’s Truth, but who says we must sign on to that in the first place?
I, for one, have chosen to acknowledge Society’s Truth, but hold myself to my own standards. If I am to be happy for the rest of my days, (and I fully intend to be exactly that) then I must give myself the space to start with, “I am a good person who means well for others, even when imperfect in doing so.”
So, my advice is to relax, set Societal standards in their rightful place (nice to know, but I won’t let them define me) and fall in love with ourselves – whether for the first time in our lives (better late than never), or to realize again that we are loveable and authentic. The fact seems to be that others will only be able to love me as much as I love me. And that is a critical knowledge.
Give yourself a break. None of us is the picture of anyone else’s “perfection”, and, at the same time, we are not “Evil Incarnate”, no matter how an “Ex…” might characterize us …show more content…
However, I think that the views of others constitute data that I must weigh and factor as I judge my own intentions and actions.
In the end, I am the sum of my judgements about myself, while considering the feedback from others.
So, I must DECIDE how to value myself and define myself. It has taken me nearly 70 years to arrive at this certainty and I am enormously grateful to view myself in a positive and meaningful light.
Do I Matter?
These last four questions are among the most valuable for all of us, well, throughout life. But as we reach senior status, these questions take on a monumental importance.
My life was changed forever when I read a book in college by Dr. Victor Frankl, Jewish/German neurologist and psychiatrist as well as a Holocaust survivor. That book, “Man’s Search for Meaning”, has been one of the most influential bodies of thought and observation about the truth of my/our existence.
Dr. Frankl observed that at the root of all the layers of what makes each of us who we are is the notion of Meaning. Who are we? What do we stand for? Can we define the reason for being
This is a critical question for us to ask ourselves all throughout life. I am asking this myself now that I am about to turn 70.
The answer to this question tells me a lot about how I see myself. In the end, that is what I consider crucial rather than comparing myself to some arbitrary conceptions that the world may tell me to measure up to.
Here’s the usual answer that I identify.
For the most part, I am delighted with what I see, clothed or unclothed.
No, I don’t see the well-shaped and muscular Marine that I was nearly 50 years ago, I figure that I had my days in that image and body, but time has changed me physically and emotionally.
But, here’s the thing. The changes that result in how …show more content…
For example, if we are overweight or underweight there is a prescribed meaning and judgement that attend, universally. But that prescription does not equate to “Truth”. Well, it might represent Society’s Truth, but who says we must sign on to that in the first place?
I, for one, have chosen to acknowledge Society’s Truth, but hold myself to my own standards. If I am to be happy for the rest of my days, (and I fully intend to be exactly that) then I must give myself the space to start with, “I am a good person who means well for others, even when imperfect in doing so.”
So, my advice is to relax, set Societal standards in their rightful place (nice to know, but I won’t let them define me) and fall in love with ourselves – whether for the first time in our lives (better late than never), or to realize again that we are loveable and authentic. The fact seems to be that others will only be able to love me as much as I love me. And that is a critical knowledge.
Give yourself a break. None of us is the picture of anyone else’s “perfection”, and, at the same time, we are not “Evil Incarnate”, no matter how an “Ex…” might characterize us …show more content…
However, I think that the views of others constitute data that I must weigh and factor as I judge my own intentions and actions.
In the end, I am the sum of my judgements about myself, while considering the feedback from others.
So, I must DECIDE how to value myself and define myself. It has taken me nearly 70 years to arrive at this certainty and I am enormously grateful to view myself in a positive and meaningful light.
Do I Matter?
These last four questions are among the most valuable for all of us, well, throughout life. But as we reach senior status, these questions take on a monumental importance.
My life was changed forever when I read a book in college by Dr. Victor Frankl, Jewish/German neurologist and psychiatrist as well as a Holocaust survivor. That book, “Man’s Search for Meaning”, has been one of the most influential bodies of thought and observation about the truth of my/our existence.
Dr. Frankl observed that at the root of all the layers of what makes each of us who we are is the notion of Meaning. Who are we? What do we stand for? Can we define the reason for being