Friday, February 5, 2010

a self-actualizing mind dump



I'm feeling oh-so-reflective these days...and so i just need to dump my minds inventory online for public record. or my record. whatever. I read an article in synchronicity magazine over a year ago and it's still swirling in my head. Enter mind dump.

If I stopped what I was doing right now and took an inventory of myself, I'd recognize that I have the capacity, talent, direction, mission & calling within myself to work towards my goals & dharma - as do the rest of us. it's less about acquiring that special skill and more about 'actualizing' what we already have. We are the best; we are already enough!

American psychologist Abraham Maslow presented a theory of psychological health through studying people whom he called "self-actualizing", or in layman's terms: healthy & creative.

A self-actualizing person
  • is reality oriented
  • is accepting of oneself & others
  • is spontaneous
  • is problem-centered, rather than self-centered
  • is detached & needing privacy
  • is independent
  • has fresh, rather than stereotyped appreciation of people
  • has had a mystical or spiritual experience
  • identifies with the human race as a whole
  • has a few deep, intimate relationships
  • has a philosophical rather than bitter sense of humor
  • has creative resources
  • is resistant to conformity
  • is transcendent to one's environment.
Carl Rogers, another an influential American psychologist, agreed with most of what Maslow believed, but added that for a person to "grow", they need an environment that provides them with genuineness (openness and self-disclosure), acceptance (being seen with unconditional positive regard), and empathy (being listened to and understood).

I guess you can have great seeds & fertile soil - but without sunlight & water nothings going to grow.

In other words though, to self-actualize is to fulfill one's potential and achieve the highest level of 'human-beingness' we can. And what better way to live than to enjoy being a human to to the max - creating the ultimate human experience for ourselves. fuck yeah. being human rocks!

It's like before enlightenment & ascension comes self-actualization.

thoughts?

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