The Purpose of Introspection
Let's face it. Introspection frequently sucks. When we attempt to delve deep into the inner workings of our own psyche, figuring out what makes our minds tick, we often discover things we'd rather pretend don't exist. For many problems there are deep-rooted memories, and for many emotions there are often seemingly irrational and stupid things at their root. We feel embarassed about some of the things that we realize inhabit the vast expanse of our minds. Moreover, we often confront the beast we prefer to believe does not exist: our flaws.
Our character flaws are what makes us human, but they are also what cause serious problems in the world. A character flaw in one person can lead to them abusing another human being, while a character flaw in another person can lead to genocide. Our character flaws represent dynamic and major parts of our personalities, as they play a great impact than we'd like to think. We cannot just pretend they don't exist. Though it may hurt, our flaws are too important to go unrecognized, and so we have to realize our flaws if we are to ever improve on them.
Given that, introspection serves at least one obvious use: it is a self-diagnosis of our own flaws, one that allows us to potentially work on a cure. Though we may never fully fix our flaws, it is the effort to improve them that distinguishes great human beings from normal human beings. Fixing our flaws can be painful, because they are usually situated at some pivotal point within the massive, tangled mess of our minds. They become points of concentration, connected to vast numbers of strands on that web, connecting themselves to many parts of our minds. These flaws unfortunately find expression in our daily lives when they manifest themselves through the mental processes and thoughts to which they are connected. We may never fully remove that knot from our minds, but we can begin to untangle it, severing as many of its connections as possible.
Introspection is the beginning of a long and possibly endless path towards self-improvement. Just as you can't fully repair an old house from the outside, so is the mind impossible to fix externally. The agent for causation for mental improvement must come from within, and much of the work must be done internally to fix and refortify one's mental infrastructure, just as one must enter the house in order to fix its supports. The catalyst must be self-created and self-sustained, though it can be the result of external forces. Ultimately though, the bulk of the effort must come from within a person or else the endeavor will go nowhere.
I'm ruthless when it comes to looking inside myself. I am possessed of a fiercely analytical mind at times, and this analytical capacity can be used to relentlessly and ferociously criticize people. I avoid using my own horrible thought processes on people as much as possible, but the end result is that these processes become devoted to self-evaluation instead. I often imagine that many of my self-esteem issues come from the most painful and critical voice I ever hear: my own. The danger of damaging yourself is great when you look at your own mind. I sunk into a painful depression over the last few months due in large part to the unending self-criticisms that I launched at myself in response to external events. Though I'm getting better in recent days, I suffer from relapses where I tear apart my mental flesh, causing all the joy to bleed out of my mind for days at a time.
This risk of introspection is always present, but it's necessary. Like any worthwhile endeavor, there is no easy way, no path without hazards and potential losses. In the end though, the goal is usually worth it. If I have to suffer periodically in order to more greatly understand myself and become a better person for myself and others, it is worth it. Though we always want external evaluation, in the end, the ultimate judge of our minds is ourselves, and nothing will ever change that. Introspection, though painful, is worth the risk because when we begin to know ourselves, we begin to truly know other people, thus becoming the truly good people we are meant to be.
Our character flaws are what makes us human, but they are also what cause serious problems in the world. A character flaw in one person can lead to them abusing another human being, while a character flaw in another person can lead to genocide. Our character flaws represent dynamic and major parts of our personalities, as they play a great impact than we'd like to think. We cannot just pretend they don't exist. Though it may hurt, our flaws are too important to go unrecognized, and so we have to realize our flaws if we are to ever improve on them.
Given that, introspection serves at least one obvious use: it is a self-diagnosis of our own flaws, one that allows us to potentially work on a cure. Though we may never fully fix our flaws, it is the effort to improve them that distinguishes great human beings from normal human beings. Fixing our flaws can be painful, because they are usually situated at some pivotal point within the massive, tangled mess of our minds. They become points of concentration, connected to vast numbers of strands on that web, connecting themselves to many parts of our minds. These flaws unfortunately find expression in our daily lives when they manifest themselves through the mental processes and thoughts to which they are connected. We may never fully remove that knot from our minds, but we can begin to untangle it, severing as many of its connections as possible.
Introspection is the beginning of a long and possibly endless path towards self-improvement. Just as you can't fully repair an old house from the outside, so is the mind impossible to fix externally. The agent for causation for mental improvement must come from within, and much of the work must be done internally to fix and refortify one's mental infrastructure, just as one must enter the house in order to fix its supports. The catalyst must be self-created and self-sustained, though it can be the result of external forces. Ultimately though, the bulk of the effort must come from within a person or else the endeavor will go nowhere.
I'm ruthless when it comes to looking inside myself. I am possessed of a fiercely analytical mind at times, and this analytical capacity can be used to relentlessly and ferociously criticize people. I avoid using my own horrible thought processes on people as much as possible, but the end result is that these processes become devoted to self-evaluation instead. I often imagine that many of my self-esteem issues come from the most painful and critical voice I ever hear: my own. The danger of damaging yourself is great when you look at your own mind. I sunk into a painful depression over the last few months due in large part to the unending self-criticisms that I launched at myself in response to external events. Though I'm getting better in recent days, I suffer from relapses where I tear apart my mental flesh, causing all the joy to bleed out of my mind for days at a time.
This risk of introspection is always present, but it's necessary. Like any worthwhile endeavor, there is no easy way, no path without hazards and potential losses. In the end though, the goal is usually worth it. If I have to suffer periodically in order to more greatly understand myself and become a better person for myself and others, it is worth it. Though we always want external evaluation, in the end, the ultimate judge of our minds is ourselves, and nothing will ever change that. Introspection, though painful, is worth the risk because when we begin to know ourselves, we begin to truly know other people, thus becoming the truly good people we are meant to be.
posted by Andrew McKenna at 6:32 PM
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