| John Donne, the English poet, once said: "No man | | | | encounter in your life. If you know yourself, you |
| is an island." Yes, in a way, we are all related to | | | | would know what another individual would want. |
| other people in our lives--whether we are at | | | | Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibet, was once |
| home, work, or play. | | | | asked by reporters how he could so easily and |
| Relationships are at the core of human existence. | | | | instantly relate to people of different cultures, |
| If you understand other people in your life, you | | | | religions, and backgrounds. He promptly replied |
| will develop better and more positive relationships | | | | that he was "simply encountering a fellow human |
| with them. Understanding people means knowing | | | | being with the same desire to be happy and to |
| how to react to them in certain situations, leading | | | | avoid suffering as myself." In other words, an |
| to good human relationships. Having good human | | | | acute awareness of the needs and wants of any |
| relationships is the art of living well. | | | | individual. |
| But understanding other people around you may | | | | Indeed, if you know yourself well enough--to |
| not be easy, especially if you do not understand | | | | know who you are and what you want from |
| yourself first. By understanding yourself better, | | | | life--you would know how to deal with another |
| you may be able to relate better to other people | | | | individual with the same needs and wants as |
| in your life. Therefore, the key to the art of living | | | | yours. Essentially, treat others as you would like |
| well is knowing yourself first. | | | | to be treated. The problem with many of us is |
| Why is knowing yourself so important? | | | | that we simply don't know ourselves, and |
| Above the doorway of an ancient Greek temple | | | | therefore we don't know others. As a result, we |
| were written the words "Know Thyself." The | | | | don't know how to react appropriately in certain |
| significance of those words was: Knowing yourself | | | | circumstances, or how to treat others just as we |
| first! If you know youself, you need not even ask | | | | would like to be treated. |
| the oracle for a prediction of your future. That is | | | | Then, how do you know yourself? The best way |
| to say, if you know yourself, you could answer all | | | | to know yourself is to meditate. Meditation is a |
| your own questions in life. If that is the case, why | | | | mental process during which your mind focuses |
| do you bother to ask the gods? Just ask | | | | on something seemingly insignificant and irrelevant, |
| yourself--you hold the answers to all your | | | | such as your breathing, so that you can explore |
| questions in life. | | | | your subconscious mind to find out your real |
| Who are you? That is the question you should | | | | needs and priorities in life. Many religions advocate |
| ask yourself first, rather than what is going to | | | | the practice of meditation as a means to enlighten |
| happen to your life. | | | | the mind and enhance spirituality. |
| Your Creator has created you for who you are | | | | Meditation is easy to practice: it requires only |
| and what you are. Your worth lies within you, just | | | | discipline and diligence. Use meditation to know |
| as Ann Frank said, "Human worth does not lie in | | | | yourself, thereby knowing others in your life. |
| riches or power, but in character or goodness." If | | | | Knowing yourself may surprisingly solve many of |
| you believe in the goodness in yourself, you would | | | | your life problems. |
| know how to treat another individual you | | | | |