Become What thou Art! (ritual, salvation, mission, preacher, pagan)

[Sunstone]

It seems to me that much of society is lined up against people "being true to themselves" or "becoming what they are".

Politicians, for instance, have a vested interest that you vote for them regardless of whether it's in your own interests to vote for them or not. For that reason, they lie about what they stand for and what they will do.

Advertisers, merchants, and many corporations have a vested interest in your buying their products and services regardless of whether doing is true to yourself or helps you become what you are. To that end, they too often propagandize you about the need for their products or services. Their goal is not for you to become a fully functional adult, a person true to themselves, or someone who has realized their full potential. Rather, they want you to be a good consumer.

The fashion industry is forever telling you that you should look and dress in some fashion which might or might not have anything to do with you as a person.

Teachers, principles, and other educators are increasingly more concerned with your achieving good marks on standardized tests than they are with your personal development into someone who is true to themselves, who is developing his or herself fully.

Your preacher, on the other hand, wants you to stick to his or her religion above all else, even if that means you are no longer true to yourself, even if it means you are not becoming what you are.

Even your peers many times would prefer you were like them than that you were yourself.

And the entertainment industry provides you with an escape from all the misery of not being true to yourself. The entertainment industry does its best to distract you from your unhappiness, and for a great many people, it succeeds in this.

Are there other challenges than these to being true to yourself, to becoming what you are?

How important is it to be true to yourself, to become what you are?

Why is it important?

How likely is it that you will actually realize your full potential as a person in today's society?

Can a person who is not true to themselves have a genuinely spiritual life?

[PureX]

Originally Posted by Sunstone

How important is it to be true to yourself, to become what you are?

I think it's very important. Ghandi once said that lying is the mother of all violence. And what he meant was that all forms of dishonesty lead to destruction. And I agree. In my own life, the majority of my own suffering, and the suffering that I've caused others was the direct result of some degree of dishonesty about myself, about others, and about reality in general.

And I couldn't even begin to change any of these damaging ideas and behaviors until I could begin to see myself, others, and reality more honestly and clearly.

Originally Posted by Sunstone

How likely is it that you will actually realize your full potential as a person in today's society?

The odds are almost nil. Very little about the way humans organize themselves into societies and cultures is designed to help individuals reach their full potential as individual human beings. Human societies are based on the individuals within them competing against each other for freedom and opportunities. And in such a system, only a very small number of individuals will gain the freedom and opportunities necessary to develop and explore their own potential.

Originally Posted by Sunstone

Can a person who is not true to themselves have a genuinely spiritual life?

Yes. And in fact it might be argued that the more stifled we are, the more "spiritual" we tend to become. As our real lives become more and more limited and restrictive, we begin to look more and more to our internal and imaginary lives for "salvation". Religions flourish among the oppressed. It's partly why religious leaders and institutions tend to be so oppressive.

[Sunstone]

Outstanding post, PureX!

[Terrywoodenpic]

If you want unbiased advise do you ask a salesman?

[eudaimonia]

Originally Posted by Sunstone

Are there other challenges than these to being true to yourself, to becoming what you are?

I don't think that any of what you mentioned are actually challenges to becoming what you are -- they simply are not encouragements. The fundamental challenge is simply recognizing the need for being true to yourself. Once this is done, it's easy enough to ignore society's mixed messages.

How important is it to be true to yourself, to become what you are?

Of sacred importance -- it is my fundamental mission in life.

Why is it important?

Because this is crucial to fulfill my natural function as a self-determining being and flourish.

Let me put it this way -- I can live my own life, or attempt to live other people's lives. I can only truly succeed at the first. The second is a waste of time -- a mere mimickry of life.

(The book Personal Destinies by David Norton explains this better than I can.)

How likely is it that you will actually realize your full potential as a person in today's society?

What is going to stop me? Media ads?

Can a person who is not true to themselves have a genuinely spiritual life?

Eh, this question hinges on the meaning of the words "genuinely spiritual life". In my own interpretation of the term as it relates to my way of life, the answer is "no".


eudaimonia,

Mark

[9harmony]

"O SON OF SPIRIT! Noble have I created thee, yet thou hast abased thyself. Rise then unto that for which thou wast created." -The Hidden Words of Baha'u'llah, p 9

"O SON OF SPIRIT! I created thee rich, why dost thou bring thyself down to poverty? Noble I made thee, wherewith dost thou abase thyself? Out of the essence of knowledge I gave thee being, why seekest thou enlightenment from anyone beside Me? Out of the clay of love I molded thee, how dost thou busy thyself with another? Turn thy sight unto thyself, that thou mayest find Me standing within thee, mighty, powerful and self-subsisting." -The Hidden Words of Baha'u'llah, p 6-7

[michel]

How important is it to be true to yourself, to become what you are?

It is very important to me.

Why is it important?

Because I believe that I need to be true to myself; it is the only way I can achieve hapiness.

How likely is it that you will actually realize your full potential as a person in today's society?

Pretty unlikely; for a number of reasons.......
I have a 'duty' to my family (to support them, to be there for them); that is not be in keeping with the way I believe I should live my life.

Unfortunately, this was something of which I wasn't aware when I married. Had I a wise head on young shoulders, I think I would have thought more about what I felt I needed to achive in life.

Can a person who is not true to themselves have a genuinely spiritual life?

From my own personal point of view, and within the frame of the acceptance that others rely on me, and that I am therefore not free to do with my life as I wish, yes, I believe I do lead a spiritual life.

[Laila]

Being 'true to yourself' depends on how you define it.

(1) If being true to yourself is being honest with yourself it is important and essential because only when you accept, understand yourself, and be honest will you be able to make progress with your personal development. I don't think society can play a part in this as intrinsically you will always be true to yourself, deep down you will know what your personal truth is.
If you decide to be false to yourself by deceiving yourself this may or may not affect other people but you'll certainly stunt your personal growth. You willl not be able to deceive yourself or others for ever and eventually you'll probably have an identity crisis, hurt yourself or someone else. This is not good progress.

(2) If being true to yourself is manifesting your nature it is important because expressing your nature allows you to be an individual, although it is not essential. Society does play a major part in how much of your true nature you portray, and I think that society always has done. I doubt this is a new concept. Isn't a 4 year old child more true to themself than a 40 year old adult? If a 4 year old is being true to themself they are not doing this by realising their full potential neither are they fully functional adults. So, therefore these cannot be criteria for being true to yourself. Being true needs to be balanced against the consequences of fully revealing your nature. Sometimes it may not be conducive to be true to yourself. If, for example you are a psychotic murderer you would be true to yourself by protraying this and this would be harmful to the society you live in.

(3) If being true to yourself assumes that you shouldn't change, that you should stick to who and what you are. Well, when we learn something we are changed by what we learn. We were not originally like this (prior to the learning), but we were changed because we learned. If a person can become a better person than they currently are, isn't asking them to be true to themself really asking them to stop learning?

In conclusion, essentially you will always be yourself because all that you are is always you. However, will you be always true? Well, that is a question of defining what being true to yourself actually means.