The Journey of Self-Discovery

So I'm having one of those nights, where you sit back and analyze various aspects of your life. The idea of learning who you are has always been very fascinating to me and I thought I'd ask you sherdoggers your opinion on what it really means to "come into your own"? And also about how you may have changed over the years and if you think you can really express yourself honestly as of today?

 

eh. i doubt anyone's very honest with themselves.

 

You never really come in to your own. You'll always be learning and adapting.

 

Both are solid replies, especially this one.

 

Here is a wonderful quote about the path we all take, from start to finish.

"All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.
And then the whining school-boy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lined,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slipper'd pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side,
His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything."

 

i'm guessing you've never met or heard of people with inflated egos? they think they're better than they actually are, when most people know they're pedestrian at best.

there's also people who do a lot of things they probably would think is douche-ish if they were honest, but then they try to justify it to themselves with a bunch of cockamamie excuses.

c'mon man.

 

Actually some liars can convince themselves that what they are saying is true, its a disturbing way of thinking but with all of the mental illnesses present today it's not too hard to believe.

 

Denial can be a very strong force. I'm sure you subconsciously do it yourself even now. I'm extremely hard on myself for my mistakes and faults though to the point that it's unhealthy. It's something I need to work on. I might not suffer from denial but I'm not in a much better state truth be told.

 

what is that, shakespeare?

 

Yes, from As You Like It. I always thought it a really nice description of the passage of time for a man.

 

what people often do too is take other peoples' actions, then make up reasons for why those people did that in order to make themselves feel better. for example, if a bunch of people tell them they suck, they say that everyone's wrong, and they themselves are right.

 

reminds me of something else from macbeth that the titular character said somewhere towards the end.

edit: found it:

 

What sucks about growing up is while I know probably more now than ever, I am more aware that ever of how much I don't know.

Reminds me of a quote I will poorly paraphrase- If you think you know the answers, you don't even know the questions.

 

Exactly, or we justify our faults because someone we respect also is guilty of it. Like Bob Marley cheated on his wife with a ton of women, I think I'm fine just cheating on my girlfriend with one girl.

 

is the quote: "just when you think you got all the answers, i change the questions"

- rowdy roddy piper

 

right. or if you do something bad to someone, you say that they deserved it for some reason, even if they really didn't. i've been guilty of that myself many times.

 

Here's my take on self-discovery

1. Man, I gotta learn how to be cool.
2. Shit... I ain't cool. I gotta learn how to fake being cool.
3A. Damn, I think I'm faking it and making it!
3B. Damn, I'm a fucking loser...
4. Man... FUCK THIS. I don't need to fuckin entertain YOU!
5. YOLO, lemme at that beer can.
6. Man... this is the life... No/Part time job... free time... hanging wit tha homies.
7. Man, what am I doing with my life?
8. Holy shit, I love this girl!
9. Yo girl, I love you.
10. Why isn't this working? I love you, don't go!
11. Bitches ain't shit, get all the pussy I can!
12. Gotta learn how to get laid.
13. Damn, can't get laid. Gotta pretend I'm getting laid so I can parlay that into actually getting laid.
14A. Shit, I got laid and it was great!
14B. Shit, I got laid and it left me empty. But I'll say it was great!
15. Time to pretend to be more put together and happy than I actually am!
16. Man, now I gotta go to college?
17A. Fuck the system! I'm going to party everyday and get so much pussy!
17B. Sweet, now I get to have sex with lots of College chicks!
18. Damn, where's the pussy?
19. I'm so ugly.
20. I guess I should try to get laid.
21. Fuck life.
22. This isn't how I thought things would be at all.
23. Holy shit! Breakthrough! Life is so fucking deep! It's all about being a REAL MAN!
24. Time to exercise, time to start learning how to be a glassblower, time to reinvent myself!
25. Yeah, look at em biceps. Lost 10 lbs.
26. Shit, I feel good.
27. I look good.
28. Yeah dude, I'll go to the party with you.
29. Downward spiral
30. Gain 15 lbs
31. etc etc etc

 

wow, that's super accurate 00000000000.

i think people probably won't realize anything until they die.