The Perception Of The Self

The Self

1. What is the self, what does it mean to be a self?

2. Is there a difference between being yourself authentically versus inauthentically? If so, what is the difference?

Abraham Lincoln once said that, if he had six hours to cut down a tree, he would spend the first five hours sharpening his axe. Likewise, any investigation into the ‘self’ requires, first and foremost, a thorough and clear preparation due to the difficult nature of an investigation into a matter or idea that has somewhat remained clouded in vague conceptions. In order, then, to arrive at a acceptable definition of the self, I will employ three key observations that should give me ample preparation for the main part of my investigation.

Since any particular object can only be perceived if it has characteristics that sets it apart from other objects, I can use this observation as a starting point for my attempt to first to perceive and then to define what can be understood as the ‘self’. Since objects that can be defined are separate entities are, due to their very nature, limited, we must accordi...

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...ven an account of one healing experience and the profound realization that came with it. Taking all of these observations together, I would like to make a tentative definition of the ‘self’: I postulate, that the true ‘self’ is love, and nothing but love. Since, at a deeper level of reality, nothing but love exists, there must exist an infinite oneness, such as the one described by all sages and prophets throughout history.

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