The Contingencies Of Personal Development

Question: In school we get all kinds of information, but they don’t teach us the main thing: who we are. Why is it important for every person to discover, to know, and to understand himself?

Answer: If I want to realize myself, I must know who I am and what sources of personal and intellectual powers are found within me. If I don’t have them, where can I go to get outside help in order to obtain them? In what am I weak and in what am I strong? For what occupation do I have an aptitude, for what lifestyle? In general, who am I?

Some people are found to have self-destructive tendencies, whereas others are constantly concerned about their life and health. There are those who attract an audience, others that reject it, and so forth. To discover and come to know yourself means that you discover and know the sources of success.

We see that kittens and puppies become independent creatures in two or three weeks. Whereas for a person, years of suffering are required for development, and ultimately his ability to absorb from the environment puts him on his feet.

An infant comes out of his mother’s womb clean and pure with no bacteria or viruses on him, nothing. Within a few hours he is covered with billions of bacteria, up to 30,000 per square centimeter of skin. In turn, the moment that he begins to breathe, sweat, and produce antibodies, he begins to influence his environment.

When it comes to the education of the young person, one is immediately offered a multitude of choices in terms of advice: the newborn must listen to music, you must speak with him, and you must smile at him. They say that the music of Mozart influences brain cells and improves mathematical abilities. Without a doubt, all of this is good.

In truth, if a child up to the age of two hears several languages spoken regularly, they become the mother tongue for him. There exist various studies on this subject, but in fact, we know very little about ourselves, and our knowledge is completely experiential (empirical).

A person’s dependence on the environment is the main thing that must be taken into account. I was born in a particular family, at a particular time, under particular conditions; in all of this I must see the hand of fate. But there is also another side to the coin.

One mother can have five completely different children. For example, I have a brother who is a few years younger than I am, and he took completely opposite qualities from society than I did. This is to say, it is not just the environment, but exactly what a person will absorb from the environment also depends upon the person himself.
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From KabTV’s “A New Life” 11/7/14