Wed, Apr 20, 2022 at 12:11 PM
I love paradoxes. The self-contradictory nature of it is highly relatable for me. I believe humans in themselves can be a paradox too. I came across a particular concept yesterday called Ouroboros. It was a word that I came across in a fiction fantasy novel written by Sarah Mass. This is an excerpt of it:
The Ouroboros, also known as the Mirror of Beginnings and Endings, is a powerful artifact that shows the looker who or what they truly are. It's a rare person to face who they truly are and not run from it—not be broken by it. That's what the Ouroboros shows all who look into it: who they are, every despicable and unholy inch. Some gaze upon it and don't even realize that the horror they're seeing is them—even as the terror of it drives them mad. Some swagger in and are shattered by the small, sorry creature they find instead.
The phrase, "to face who they truly are" reminded me of the search for knowing who I am. People say it's a lifelong search of finding oneself. Some call it the purpose of their life. I've always been fascinated by philosophical topics like these: "The search for oneself, Is there truly any good or bad? Isn't every destruction a roundabout act of creation too in a sense? Isn't everything a human construct?"
So yes, philosophy is fun.
Let's talk about the relation between being self aware and finding our own self. Being self aware and knowing who you are is a long process. Today, I may be a studious nerd babbling about books everyday in my journal, and tomorrow I can become a social butterfly who rarely gets time to go through a book. But that's alright. We change and adapt according to situations. It's necessary.
If we talk professionally, how can being self aware help?
Case #1: In the workplace Let's say I get a task to work on and I don't know how to do it. Being honest with the person who's accountable for the task about the limitations and communicating what I know and don't know clearly is crucial. Otherwise, grudges/problems may arise. Being self aware about my strengths along with the weaknesses. If I don't know something, to accept it, acknowledge it and if it's something I need to learn, get to know it. But not lying to myself. Because if I lie too long to myself, I'll start to believe my own lie. It delays the inevitable.
Case #2: In Interviews There was an interviewer who I encountered during my college internship interview, who asked me If I knew how to make decisions based on SQL queries. I was a sophomore, aiming high, landing in an unknown place and had no idea what decisions were even made using sql. I only knew the base necessary sql to pass tests. I took a leap of honesty and said No, I don't know how to do that. Later, I did get rejected and there was indeed no miraculous feedback from the interviewer rewarding me for my honesty. But I found something on linkedin a couple of days ago.
So yes, I felt pretty good about my choice. Got some validation from this. All in all, the point I'm trying to make here is, being honest and self aware about our limitations and strengths is necessary. One needs courage to say I don't know. Identify your superpowers but be open about your main weaknesses. Accepting it is the first step towards changing it. P.S. Because we started with the topic of paradox, I would like to end with one: What do you think would happen if an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? On that note, here's something you may find interesting.
Best,
Shreya