I have also started to think of how much I value self-awareness. For instance, knowing the type of person you are and also the type of people your friends/family are. This helps with relations and in moderating expectations, but I value it highly not because of its efficacy but simply as an attribute. This attribute is actually fairly easy to determine in someone, especially by their humor. Sarcastic comments require a more intimate knowledge of people and situations and thus I tend to gravitate toward sarcastic and witty people and view them as smarter. I love the quote in V for Vendetta (which everyone should join me in watching Nov 5): "Is everything a joke to you?" "Only the things that matter." As a side note, self-awareness becomes markedly easier with age.
It's interesting to note too that who you feel intimidated by has the attributes you value. For instance, I am not intimidated by Caltech professors even though they have so much science knowledge and experience. However, I am intimidated by a successful businessman because he has the self-awareness and business savvy that I value. This is a problem in my field since I only care what my professors think of science; in other areas they are as smart as Joe the Plumber. And they definitely are not self-aware or think of how to encourage a productive work environment; this is of course weird to me since I think of those things a lot. I have to actualy consciously remind myself that these people are smart but they just don't have the attributes I value.
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3 comments:
That's an interesting point about who we feel intimidated by. I had never thought about it before but it makes sense. The issue of self-awareness is really in the forefront of my mind lately. Things have happened in my life that have made me think through who I am, how much I need others in my life, and ultimately showing me my nasty self-reliance. Trials reveal things about ourselves that we may not otherwise realize. Thoughts like this do increase and become more organized as we age for sure. ~R
i guess that is why the situations i fear the most are where i am not self-aware enough to realize how stupid i look--until later. it is also one reason that i enjoy hanging out with high schoolers because they are just beginning to become self-aware so to be a part of that process of helping them to see themselves accurately (& not distorted by media, friends, etc) is quite satisfying (until they don't really want to hear what you have to say & would rather just live their lives the way that other people tell them to--that's depressing).
What "david" said made me think of high schoolers and how it's painful to see them just do what others tell them to do (especially when others are not you). I, like many of you, really enjoy seeing young people make their own decisions and see them become self-sufficient. Incidentally, I think this is the main pitfall of good parents - they don't allow their children enough freedom to make their own decisions. I believe some respect should be given rather than earned - I am not talking about big decisions (like where to go to school) but in day-to-day conversation and little decisions. Being kind and respectful in the little decisions encourages openness and mutual respect. Dogmatic and opinionated parents beware.
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