Almost everyone has heard the famous quote of Socrates “Know thyself”. Less well known, however, is his insistence that the key to wisdom and healthy human relationships is to “mind your own business.”
After years of studying philosophy and psychology, I still think his advice to “mind your own business” is one of the greatest philosophical reminders of all time. But we can be sure that his statement no About the everyday concept of “minding your own business” — or rather, our everyday concept — is the tip of a huge and wonderful iceberg.
In Socrates’ view, the “business” of a healthy, developed human being revolves around personal awakening, learning, and informed communication. He was also an accomplished psychologist who was far ahead of his time in his emphasis on self-knowledge and strong – yet flexible – personal boundaries.
Socrates did not suffer fools gladly. Yet, he also knew that directly opposing and “trying to change” fools, manipulators, and meddlers was a fool’s errand. It simply does not work. ever Instead, he chose to engage with them Without surrendering to them or allowing them to influence his words and behavior. He was respectful, but at the same time piercing and relentless in his questions and famous Socratic dialogues.
In this way, Socrates modeled healthy self-awareness, firm boundaries, and respectful interactions with others—even those who hate, hate, or oppose you. In a sense, he embodies a complete, sympathetic expression love in action
Who are all these intrusive meddlers and manipulators?
To better understand what Socrates was driving at, it may be helpful to think of this opposite Human Type: Those with low self-awareness, no will become More self-aware, and instead feel an endless desire and an endless “need” to manipulate reality and interfere in the lives of others.
These people are the ambitious go-getters we admire in our crazy, capitalistic culture. But they include all sorts of “control freaks,” busybodies, and religious “true believers” intent on controlling, manipulating, or “converting” others. The overall result is endless, merciless, and even evil interference.
One thing these people can’t do is will notolerate is the idea that we can accept others and live in peace. In other words, they refuse to conform or conform to “live and let live.” Rather, they – even many so-called “loving Christians” – want and have total control no Willingness to support others’ freedom to do and live as they please. These people are all supreme meddlers, and their self-worth completely Covering their infiltration effectiveness and overt (or covert) interference.
Put differently, these intrusive interlopers are only in it for themselves, no matter what they say or how they otherwise behave. they do no Has the best interests of others at heart, and cannot be trusted as such. not with something — and especially Not with managing and managing our society.
Yet who finds us moving things and “rules” us? Usually, it is precisely these people – the very ones from whom we should run in fear and refuse to let go nearby The reins of government. Instead, we shudder, prostrate ourselves, and humbly submit to them even more Power we repeatedly buy into their self-serving “altruistic” guise, and continue to elect them and subject ourselves to horrendous violations and abuses.
That’s the sad bottom line, folks. These intrusive, manipulative interlopers are all, deep down, major and Repentant abusers — who thrive on delighting in oppressing and abusing their victims our
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A helpful continuum of consciousness
Of course, the more centered we are in our true selves and the more self-aware and “grounded” we are, the less susceptible we are to the lies and manipulations of these meddling hypocrites. And this is intrusive and manipulative everywhere! If we imagine a continuum from consciousness/receptivity on one end to complete non-self-awareness and constant interference/manipulation on the other, the vast majority of humanity falls somewhere in the middle — though often much closer to the “constant interference/manipulation” end.
Throughout history, only a tiny minority of people have embodied the full “consciousness/receptivity” end of the spectrum. Similarly, only a small minority live in full measure at the “non-self-awareness and endless interference/manipulation” end of the spectrum. (This continuum looks like the famous “bell curve”.)
Yet this full-time, intrusive, and destructive Interlopers are often the people who influence our society the most and do the most damage. We only have to think of Donald Trump, Putin and Israel’s Netanyahu to see the amount of damage and social and international frenzy such a person can cause. Trump, in particular, seems to thrive on a steady diet of interference, insults, abuse, personal attacks, lawsuits and other vicious control tactics. (He’s even known as the “King of Litigation”)
Overall, these people are among the most selfish, greedy, narcissistic and abusive people on the planet. Yet we let them take power – and then bend the knee while they oppress and abuse us. how crazy that?! Yet in our current society, these horrors are considered “normal” or “the way things are.”
No! They are not “normal” and they are not “the way things are” – unless we allow it and allow ourselves to be oppressed and persecuted. We the people have allowed these human monsters to control and thrive – and only we can take our power back. They must not voluntarily relinquish their power.
Minding our own business is the ultimate, loving gift to humanity
This huge dilemma brings us back to the issue of “minding our own business.” How? Well, such tyrannical “control freaks” will always be with us, apparently, as are the vast masses of semi-conscious “sheep” who willingly allow themselves to be controlled and oppressed.
Neither way is satisfying, loving, or caring – since both only lead to more “empty (human) vessels.” Tyrant meddlers like Trump and Putin always are to imagine They are all powerful and in complete control.
No, the only path to real, healthy empowerment and deep self-awareness is to “mind your own business”. Paradoxically, when we truly and deeply mind our own business, we become much more centered in ourselves and our compassionate hearts and actually “become somebody” – for real. We are no longer just empty, needy vessels.
we are become real. Then, we can truly care for and care about our fellow humans — perhaps for the first time — since we are already fulfilled and “satisfied” internally. Then, we no longer have to attack, intrude, interfere or manipulate others to get what we want.
The ultimate solution to human misery and conflict, paradoxically, is for humans to “mind their own business.” That way, though it may be seems Selfishly, we can give others space to be themselves and be non-judgmental and generous.
Minding our own business, properly understood, is perhaps the ultimate gift we can give others – and ourselves.
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This post was Previously published on MEDIUM.COM.
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