Friday, May 15, 2009

Do you love yourself?

So this is my favourite question lately doing the rounds.

My honest answer is...a resounding...Yes! :)

LOL some people might interpret this as narcissism, self-obsession and egotism.

But if they truly believe that love for yourself equates to that mentioned above, they're truly unenlightened...

And I feel sorry for them because in not being able to understand, it is very likely they don't love themselves.

The reason why I really love this question lately is because I feel it is a great indicator of one's emotional health and unfortunately, in all the people I encounter I can honestly say very, very few people can actually answer...Yes!

Mostly people can at best manage a..."sometimes" which is dependent on mood- when they feel happy or confident they can love themselves...ie they only love themselves conditionally.

If you truly love yourself, it is unconditional and solid as rock...and I believe being able to love yourself first is the foundation of real happiness and inner peace. Once you truly believe that you are worthy of, deserving and capable of achieving all you aspire to and dream of, that is truly a very powerful feeling...

I say all this because I think with all the troubled souls I encounter, see and counsel and with so much turbulence and challenge under my belt I feel I am in some way "qualified". I definitely went into the washing machine like everybody else, a piece of dirty laundry - however unlike most people of my vintage I got spun for several cycles at 1600rpm and now I feel I've finally emerged not just wrung out and cleansed but I've had time to hang on the line in quiet contemplation to observe, dry, regain my shape...and I now feel free, liberated and brand spanking new...

Life has never been BETTER :-D

12 comments:

miruspeg said...

Bravo Macs!

Lovely positive post....you must have got a good nights sleep..lol!

I can honestly say I love myself, 'warts and all'. It took me a VERY long time, a lot longer than it took you. I not only love myself, I am learning to love all human kind. Sounds like a big ask but little by little, inch by inch I am walking that road.

Namaste
Pegs

Zz... said...

Actually no. So ironic I know. I have no idea what I'm functioning on- major relief vibes I guess!

Yeah I know my tangible age makes me a baby but I FEEL as if it's taken me a VERY LOOOONG TIME too! LOL

Yeah interesting the love of ALL human beings...I feel I am getting better with this unconditional love of others thing...very interesting a friend and I got talking about this today- we get misinterpreted and misunderstood by others ALOT and we realised that is because the majority of people function with ulterior motives and intention so don't get that we are just being caring and giving etc no strings attached.

People like us need to be CLONED there are way too few of us in the world!! On the flipside, being such anomalies, this is probably why we get demoralised and disillusioned and disgusted easily by how selfish the average person is by comparison.

miruspeg said...

About being cloned....that is a bit over the top!!! Funny though.

There are masses of people who think the way we do, just look around the blogosphere. All these people who live inside our computers, one day we will take over the world. We all lead by example. I am becoming more powerful everyday just by simply reading my friends posts and comments.

Now Macs you are tired, that flipside sentence is not necessary true. I feel empathy for people who don't love themselves and never judge or at least try not to judge them.

Call me Saint Peggy....lol!!!

Shouldn't you be studying or sleeping now!

Pegs

Unknown said...

I love myself MOST of the time if not all. I try to see myself the way the people that love me do, and try to see what it is that makes me special to them
I am getting better at it though. The loving of all humans...got a long way to go for that one!

HappyOrganist said...

Peggy, I love what you say in your second comment.
MsChL, listen to Peggy. I would tell you the same thing only more rudely. It's no fair to judge. You obviously have some wonderful gifts (one of them being that whole 'accept yourself' thing) - but please don't pass judgment on other people you meet if they don't have the same gifts as you. You will do yourself (and them) a disservice.
Do I sound condescending yet? I feel like it.
bah...
Yes. You sounded kind of conceited the way you went on about 'most of the population'..
You can't just think that about people. They are (we are) each of us as cool as you. (and I think you're cool). I think the bum on the street would be just as cool if you could see into his heart and know what gifts he has - and maybe what he's learning through what he's gone (and is going) through - and yes - even if he has made poor choices or anything like that.
(stupid train of thought. I lost it). Heavens, please don't think you're better than anyone else b/c you think you have some gifts or have achieved any level of peace or understanding (or any such thing) that your friends (people you meet) haven't. THEY have things (knowledge, insight, profound gifts and skills, and experiences) that you haven't had (and maybe you'll want someday) (just as we all would love to enjoy fully accepting ourselves as you say that you do).
;-)

;-)
I need a beer.

HappyOrganist said...

On a lighter note ;-D
I* am definitely self-obsessed, and I like myself.
I like all of me (and I know God does too).

MsChL, in response to your latest TCM student confession (;-) )
That's terrible! How awful!
I can relate.
well - EXCEPT for the getting-off on it. I really fail to understand that.
;-)
hehehehehehahahah

I sometimes (not all the time) like it when my children start crying - b/c I'm able to fix what's wrong. Sometimes (although it's a lot of work, and occasionally depressing) I have fun playing with my kids (dispensing medicine or herbs, etc) to heal an ailment. The best part, overall, is avoiding doctor visits when my stuff actually works (happens often enough). ;-D

koala brains said...

That's great that you are where you are. You are definitely in the minority. I wish it wasn't the case but mine is more conditional than not but I'm really working on it. I've gotten much better but there's plenty of room for improvement! I think awareness is the first step so I'm on my way.

Zz... said...

yeah i know it sounds conceited the way expressed hence is open to misinterpretation but I get what I mean haha...it was actually a very specific thought but expressed general - too lazy and tired to be clear. I just expect people to understand me!!! :p I guess there is no more accurate medium than real life...

Anonymous said...

si haces esa pregunta el 90% de las personas te contestara que no, debido a que nadie esta contento consigo mismo.... a algunas personas les lleva mas tiempo que a otras... pero todos tarde o temprano se aceptan tal y como son....(porque no les queda otra y porque saben y han entendido que hay cosas de si mismos que jamas cambiaran, eso atormenta y mantiene en un estado quejumbroso a mucha gente), llegan a comprender que en este mundo tan divago son lo unico que tienen. como dijera el gran escritor ruso Liev Tolstoi:
"Mi felicidad consiste en que sé apreciar lo que tengo y no deseo con exceso lo que no tengo" ("My happiness is that I appreciate what I have and do not want it over with I do not have"), y es absolutamente verdad, si no vives atormentado por las cosas materiales, fisicas o corporales que no posees no habra nada que te aflija y eso conllevara llevarte a tener una vida comun y corriente.
espero algun dia puedas leer la novela "crimen y castigo" de FIODOR DOSTOIEVSKI, algunas de las cosas que las que hablas en este post, se las plantea el personaje principal que salio de la brillante mente de Dostoievski y se hace llamar Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov.
cuidate
saluditos desde mexico
y
adiossssss!!
animo!!
Алексис
pd. te dejo esta cancion... de seguro la conoces... salio en el final de temp. de Dr. house... y alli se habla de tu pregunta, espero lo puedas ver pronto... aunque no sigas el hilo de la serie.

It is the evening of the day
I sit and watch
the children play
Smiling faces I can see
But not for me
I sit and watch
As tears go by

My riches cant buy everything
I want to hear the children sing
All I hear is the sound
Of rain falling on the ground
I sit and watch
As tears go by

It is the evening of the day
I sit and watch the children play
Doin things I used to do
They think are new
I sit and watch
As tears go by

Larns said...

Interesting post...I think it's a hard thing for me to 'love' myself. I do 'love' things about myself but there are so many things i dont like aswell. I think my problem is that I feel I need to be loved more-when in actual fact I just need to 'love' myself more. Hmmm this is a big issue for me-glad you brought it up.
Larns
Xxx
PS I have only just received your email sorry! I will definately see what I can do :D
Xxx

Izzy said...

Ah, my friend, you are so lucky to be hanging on life's clothes line contemplating the wonders of the world at the young age of 28... I just found my line a few months ago at the ripe age of 40. But it's such a great place to be that I don't care when it happened as long as I'm there now. Nice post.

Zz... said...

Izzy, I was going to tell you that 40 is not old and that the best part of your life is just beginning but then, who am I to say being only 28 (technically) LOL.
I'm glad that we're both finally on the line and flapping in the sun to the tune of a pleasant breeze...cheers :)