To know yourself is...
To know who you are, to know your goals, fears,joys, strengths, weaknesses and to know what you are capable of! To know what you want from yourself and others,and your life !
WHO ARE YOU?
There is one subject you don't study in school, but it is the one subject that is essential to your own happiness and quality of life. That subject is YOU!The most exciting adventure you will ever embark on is the journey inside yourself. As you begin to discover the amazing person that you are, you will be better able to understand others, make good choices in your careers and lifestyles, find meaning in your life, and earn your own happiness...
Lao Tzu:
"Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength, mastering yourself is true power." - by -- Lao-Tzu
What exactly does it mean to "know yourself’"?
What this means is to live in awareness. People that are out of touch with their minds and emotions - literally in the grip of their anger, jealousy, greed, gluttony, ideas - such people (ie most of us!) are not in control, they are unaware of the motivations for their behaviour and find it hard to break destructive patterns of behaviour, for example drinking too much, having serial relatonships, being too dependent, being as control freak...we all have some part of our lives where we are particularly unaware and destructive.So to know yourself is to become more self aware - someting that often happens quite naturally as we grow up and learn to take responsibility for our feelings and behaviour. However most of us are unconscious to some degree or other. Knowing thyself is ultimately a spiritual path - it goes hand in hand with practices like meditation or more extreme practices like fasting - this is designed to make you very aware of your inner life and shake you from your robotic lethargy! (taken form http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081026032757AAA2yU8
What it means to understand ourselves?
For me,it means,first of all,to understand the "why"s! Why i feel and react emotionally the way i feel and react at every moment of my life !It means to understand the real causes(physical,mental,emotional,spiritual,social etc.) that stand behind my moods, feelings and emotions!It means to understand why i am attracted to what i am attracted,and why i am repelled from what i am repelled! It means to understand the real motives that stand behind everythings i do.It means to get to know what makes me happy or unhappy,what makes me suffer and what makes me to experience pleasure.It means understanding of my true wants and needs. It means to understand why i like what i like,and why i dislike what i dislike.It means to understand fully the values,principles and ideals by which i live .It means to understand my true nature and my true essense. It means awareness.It means better communication with my deepest feelings,wants,needs,desires,passions,sufferings,joys and pleasures.It means to understand of what i am made of physically,mentally,spiritually ,and how these things function and interact. It means to understand the "languages" in which my body,feelings,mind,dreams,my higher Self ,my unconsious parts are "talking" to me. The most interesting part of this is -our feelings! In understanding of our feelings lies the understanding of life! Imagine life without any feelings! Does it make sense? Our feelings are what makes our life the way it is!If you'll examine your life,and all the different parts of it ,you'll discover the things that make you feel the way you feel: economical problems,the opposite sex,family,children,other people,friends,news,beauty,art,politics,work,leisure,vacations,holidays,music etc. There are some things you feel strongly about ,about others -you have no feelings ,at all.Some things repell you,some-make you nervous,some-bring you great pleasure,some-pain and suffering...Many are pleasant,and many are unpleasant...Do you understand why you feel all these feelings? What it means for you to live fully?-It mean satisfaction with your life! With what you are,what you do and have!It mean having family all members of which are happy!It mean having good and true friends! It mean having good job which you enjoy!It mean that each day excilarates you and makes you enthusiastic! It mean to live in such a way in which you are in love with everythings :in love with life and other people,in love with her(or him),in love with pets,trees,flowers;with sights,sounds,smells and the world around you!...In love with what you are,what you do and what you have! In love with present and with the distant future! You find that ,each day,is exciting,meaningful and makes you deeply happy! And you live at high level of communication with life,the universe ,yourself and other people.And create,create,create...exciting and wonderful world for yourself and others,full of joy,discoveries,successes and love!