The Spear

  “Know thyself.” This quote from Socrates is better known than its meaning. You will see those two simple words scrolled on walls, journals, and even tattooed on people’s bodies. Yet, too few actually live by it.  Being well acquainted with oneself is a concept that seems to be lost to most. We have been taught how to work with complex machines or cells. We stare into the endless abyss of the deepest oceans and seek out its secrets. We gaze upward and reach as far as we can into the unknown cosmos, longing to know more. Still, we struggle with understanding our own motivations. We ignore our own feelings, fears, and desires. We walk around as spirits covered in flesh and ignore what lies within. We live with a stranger in our own bodies.  We have ignored the command to, “take the plank out of your own eye,” in favor of seeing only the problems in others. We do not see our own issues. We don’t even recognize our own cries for help. We refuse to see ourselves and yet cry t...

  I often see people posting on social media about the importance of being kind. It is phrased around the concept of, “You don’t know what people are going through,” or, “The Golden Rule.” What I have found most interesting is that, oftentimes, these people are not calling for more kindness as something they themselves practice, but as a deep cry to be the recipients of it. I have even looked into people that were being cruel or leaving hurtful comments on posts, only to find that they have “anti-bullying” content all over their accounts.  I think most people would simply call this hypocrisy and leave it at that. Make no mistake, it is hypocritical. But there is something more than that. If we look a little bit closer, we see children crying out to be treated in a way that they themselves lack maturity enough to duplicate. They cannot be kind. They cannot act with tenderness, forgiveness, or understanding. Yet, they want to be treated that way. Something in each human being th...