Summary

The article suggests that self-discovery through introspection, journaling, meditation, or guru guidance is flawed due to the observer effect, which posits that the act of observation changes the observed, including oneself.

Abstract

The text argues against traditional methods of self-discovery, such as introspection, journaling, meditation, and seeking guidance from a guru, by invoking the observer effect. This quantum physics principle indicates that observing something, even an electron, alters its behavior. The author extends this concept to human behavior, asserting that people change when they know they are being observed, and even the observer changes in response to what they observe. The article posits that since individuals are influenced by their environment and the people around them, the self is not a fixed entity but rather a dynamic and changing aspect of existence. It challenges the notion of a static self that can be discovered through self-reflection and suggests that the self is constantly shaped by internal and external factors.

Opinions

The author, Emily Jennings, is skeptical of the effectiveness of traditional self-discovery methods, believing they may not lead to true self-awareness due to the observer effect.
The article implies that naive realism, the belief in an objective reality independent of our observation, is flawed.
It is suggested that people, like quantum particles, change when observed, and this extends to how individuals perceive themselves.
The author quotes Deepak Chopra to question whether objects like the moon exist in the same way when not being observed.
The text posits that one's environment and the company one keeps have a significant impact on shaping one's identity.
The article challenges the reader to consider the self as an ever-changing entity, influenced by both internal and external observations.
It is proposed that the self cannot be fully understood or captured, as it is always in a state of flux, influenced by perceptions and interactions.
The author encourages a redefinition or invention of the self, suggesting that self-discovery is an active process of creation rather than a passive revelation.
The article concludes with a metaphorical call to action, urging the reader to "paint" their own masterpiece of self, rather than leaving it as a blank canvas.

You CAN NOT Find Yourself by Introspection, Journaling, Meditation, or Under a Guru’s Guidance

Paint ME a masterpiece.

I’m sure you have heard the ideas below paraphrased, repeated, recycled, and rephrased.

“Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is Enlightenment.” — Lao Tzu, Chinese philosopher.

“Meditation is a tool to know yourself.”

“As we become more enlightened, as we know ourselves more, truly anything is possible. When you connect to your true self, then life is limitless and anything you can possibly imagine can be your reality.” ~Yut, Tiny Buddha

“Without the self-discovery that comes from introspection, you can become stuck in a routine that’s neither productive nor inspiring.” — Elizabeth Perry, Betterup Blog

“I’ve been using journaling as a way of connecting with myself for well over a year and I highly recommend it as a tool for self-discovery.” — Feelmoreconnected.com

“A guru offers spiritual teachings and practices to help individuals deepen their understanding of themselves…” — The Times of India

Guess they’ll only stop beating the dead donkey when it stops excreting money.

“You don’t need a guru.” — Emily Jennings calls the bluff in this article.

If you’re trying to find yourself, you might find clues in this fact:

The Observer Effect: Seeing Is Changing

The act of looking at something changes it — an effect that holds true for people, animals, even atoms. — Farnam Street

When you observe an electron, a photon collides with it and changes its behaviour. Meaning, one of the tiniest “non-living things” in the universe changes when you observe it.

In science, the term observer effect means that the act of observing will influence the phenomenon being observed.

For example, for us to “see” an electron, a photon must first interact with it, and this interaction will change the path of that electron. — Wikipedia

My friend, and fitness and health coach, VM Nihad showed me how non-living things around you change following your negativity/positivity and un/intentionally made me research on the topic.

Does the moon also exist when no one is looking? — Bohreinsteisenberg

If nobody is looking at the moon, how can anyone be sure the moon still exists?

Of course, we say, the moon exists as a real thing, and it was around for billions of years before the first human gazed at it. But this view, technically known as naive realism, is fatally flawed.

Imagine that you have a red light bulb hanging in a room of your house, and every time you walk into the room, the bulb is on. Does that mean that it is on all the time? The possibility exists that it only turns on when you walk into the room. This sounds far-fetched, but in fact you cannot prove that the red light ever turns off. It would have to turn off when you aren’t looking, and yet the only way to check on it is to walk into the room and look. — Deepak Chopra, MD, SFGate

Is the moon beautiful if everyone considers it ugly? — This is an especially interesting question to someone like me who was assessed by psychologists and everyone who trusts those psychologists (including my mother) as insane.

YOU drive me insane. YOU keep me sane.

It is the painter who decides what the painting is.

Good, bad, ugly — I am what you perceive me to be. Destroy the competition, prove yourself to be the master.

You might have noticed people change when they get to know you are observing them. You might have noticed you change when another observes you.

Are you the same person when you are alone, as when you are with your friends? Are you the same person when you’re with someone you don’t like much? Are you the same person when with someone you look up to as opposed to someone you look down upon?

“In other words, when groups or individuals realize they are being observed, they may change their behavior.” — Kassiani Nikolopoulou, Scribbr

Three groups of experiments were carried out on the conditions under which subjects felt they were the “observer” or the “observed” in dyadic encounters. (1) In two experiments it was found that feeling observed was greater for an interviewee than an interviewer, and for females than males, but not for a person placed in a brighter light. (2) Two correlational studies showed that subjects felt much more observed when with an older person than with a younger (this effect was smaller for older subjects), and that females felt more observed than males in a male-female encounter. (3) In two experiments the amount one person looked at another during an encounter was manipulated. It was found that this did not affect the latter’s feeling of being observed, or his estimate of how much he was looked at; subjects who looked less at the other felt more observed. — JSTOR

Here’s where it gets more interesting:

The Observing Effect

YOU change based on what you observe.

You are a different person around different people.

“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” ― Jim Rohn

“വേഷങ്ങൾ…”

You are a different person in different places.

The environment you’re in changes you.

You’re different in a garden. You’re different in a deep pit of shit.

Where do you see yourself — in the spotlight or in the dark?

In the selfie camera?

Isn't that who you want to be?

In someone else?

തത്ത്വമസി

On Self Discovery

By Introspection:

Just by looking at/into yourself, you change yourself. Even if you find yourself, you’ll only find the self changed by yourself.

By Journaling:

Just by noting down your thoughts/emotions, you sub/consciously judge yourself, and change yourself.

If you have been journaling for long, read the first page and the last. Were they written by the same person?

By meditation:

By focusing on your breathing, you change the way you breathe. You change the way you are.

With the help of a Guru:

If the Guru influences your thoughts/emotions/ideals/morals… (i.e. you), you’ll change. Instead of finding yourself, you’ll be farther away from yourself. You’ll find what the Guru wants to see in you.

Let’s Define the Self

I am Change

I change the environment. The environment changes me. And I cannot do anything about it even if I want to. Until I’m dead.

2. A Craving Baby With No Clue What It Craves

That’s what we all are, aren’t we? At least, when we saw the world, and the world saw us for the first time.

3. One Part of a Whole

Nothing more, nothing less. We have no identity independent of the universe, or what we consider to be the universe.

I’ve done my part. Lights on you!

Define the self.

Or Redefine.

Discover.

Invent.

Paint.

Or the masterpiece is a blank page. An empty vessel.

We must remember: a bowl is most useful when it is empty.

(Ugh!) Laozi, I don’t mean no disrespect,

But you need to fill your bowl with some shit that makes some sense! — Eastern Philosophers vs Western Philosophers

Am I talking to myself?

Shut the fuck up, then.