A journey as rewarding in its pursuit....
One of my goals of late has been to focus on self-awareness, and in that journey, I have been doing a lot of reading.
When i was in boarding school, Hamlet was one of my subject texts for my A-levels. I continued my studies of this text when I prepared for my Oxford exams. Suffice it to say I knew the play well, and had written who knows how many papers on it.
I recently started reading a book called The Untethered Soul, the Journey Beyond Yourself, by Michael A. Singer. And there, in the very the opening line of the introduction of the book, is a quote from Hamlet:
"This above all: to thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man."
Thirty-one years after studying Hamlet inside and out, I realize I'm exploring still the same words that Polonius told Laertes.
The author goes on in his introduction, to say:
"Shakespeare's age-honored words...sound so clear and unambiguous. They tell us that to maintain honest relations with others we must first be true to ourselves. Yet if Laertes were to be totally honest with himself, he would realize that his father may as well have told him to catch wind. After all, to which 'self' are we to be true? Is it the one that shows up when we're in a bad mood, or the one that is present when we feel humbled by our mistakes? Is it the one who speaks from the dark recesses of the heart when we're depressed, or the one that appears during those fleeting moments when life seems so fanciful and light?"
The author finishes his introduction with "...should you choose to devote yourself to the ongoing journey of self-realization, you will develop a tremendous sense of respect for who you really are. It is only then that you will come to appreciate the full depth of meaning in the advice "This above all: to thine own self be true."
It's a journey, but one I'm finding worthwhile in its pursuit.
When i was in boarding school, Hamlet was one of my subject texts for my A-levels. I continued my studies of this text when I prepared for my Oxford exams. Suffice it to say I knew the play well, and had written who knows how many papers on it.
I recently started reading a book called The Untethered Soul, the Journey Beyond Yourself, by Michael A. Singer. And there, in the very the opening line of the introduction of the book, is a quote from Hamlet:
"This above all: to thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man."
Thirty-one years after studying Hamlet inside and out, I realize I'm exploring still the same words that Polonius told Laertes.
The author goes on in his introduction, to say:
"Shakespeare's age-honored words...sound so clear and unambiguous. They tell us that to maintain honest relations with others we must first be true to ourselves. Yet if Laertes were to be totally honest with himself, he would realize that his father may as well have told him to catch wind. After all, to which 'self' are we to be true? Is it the one that shows up when we're in a bad mood, or the one that is present when we feel humbled by our mistakes? Is it the one who speaks from the dark recesses of the heart when we're depressed, or the one that appears during those fleeting moments when life seems so fanciful and light?"
The author finishes his introduction with "...should you choose to devote yourself to the ongoing journey of self-realization, you will develop a tremendous sense of respect for who you really are. It is only then that you will come to appreciate the full depth of meaning in the advice "This above all: to thine own self be true."
It's a journey, but one I'm finding worthwhile in its pursuit.
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