Know yourself

By Engr. Carlos V. Cornejo

The Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu once said, “Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom.” The Greek philosopher Socrates said the same thing: “Know yourself.” But theologians would also say that man is a mystery to himself. Therefore, knowing oneself is not an easy task. Dr. Peter Kreeft would even say that this is one of the biggest jokes in life: that the astronomer knows more about astronomy than about the astronomer himself. So near and yet so far. We have eyes to know everything about the universe, but we can’t even fully know ourselves.

The reason why it’s harder to know ourselves than things outside ourselves is simply because we are subjects and not objects. Objects have parts that behave in predictable ways through the so-called laws of nature. But men do not behave in a predictable way. Our behavior cannot be accurately predicted because of our freedom. It’s the reason why we catch ourselves asking, after doing something stupid and immoral (both always go together because sin is always against right reason), “Why the heck did I do that?” to illustrate that we can’t even predict our own behavior. “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure (by itself). Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)

We can partially know ourselves but not fully know ourselves. So, how can we at least approach that full knowledge of ourselves? The answer, of course, will not come from ourselves but from outside of us, from Someone who authored us and created us. The consequent advice to Socrates’ suggestion to “know yourself,” therefore, is to “know your God.” St. John Paul II would often say the key to the mystery of man is the God-Man Jesus Christ. Thus, knowing Christ and His teachings will make us know more about ourselves.

Only Christ can unlock the nature of man and his purpose because that is one of the reasons why He became man: to restore the lost identity of man brought about by the sin of our first parents. The original sin in us would tell us that the purpose of man is to have as much wealth, money, pleasure and fame as possible. But Christ would correct that by telling us our purpose is to be “partakers of the Divine Nature” (2 Peter 1:4), meaning to have a share in the life of God or to live the life of God.

Bishop Robert Barron would say that this is the summary and goal of the Christian religion: to live God’s life, as St. Athanasius of Alexandria had said, “God became man that man might become God.” If someone were to ask you, “What is the Christian life all about?” you should answer, “It’s all about living God’s life, seeing the world as God would see it and loving others as God would love them.” Therefore, all of Scripture, the Sacraments and the teachings of the Church are geared toward this one and the same goal: to live God’s life. And how do we achieve this? By following the invitation of God, “Be Holy for I am Holy” (1 Peter 1:16). It’s the reason why we have to avoid sin and replace sin with good works because that is the nature of God, who never does evil and always chooses the good. And God has shown us the role model to imitate, His beloved Son Jesus Christ. The whole purpose of being a disciple of Christ is not just to believe in Him but to be transformed into His likeness.