The Illusion of Inner Wisdom: A Modern Take on Ancient Advice
You know far less about yourself than you feel you do.
Daniel Kahneman, Thinking, Fast and Slow
If you had been a visitor to the ancient temple of Apollo at Delphi, you would have seen this saying inscribed in gold on the façade: Know Thyself. (Of course, it would have looked more like this: ΓΝΩΘΙ ΣΕΑΥΤΟΝ.)
After 25 centuries, we’ve made little progress in this quest.
It feels like we are much more aware of how our minds and bodies work.
We have personality assessments that tell us which of four quadrants we belong to.
If that is not enough, we can find out which of 16 personality types we are.
The 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) lists over 150 distinct disorders, including PTSD, OCD, and ADHD.
The result is that we have more labels but less self-knowledge.
We place ourselves into the appropriate boxes, but the reality is that we remain an inscrutable black box.
Another example of how little we know ourselves is that we overestimate our skills and expertise. More than 90% of Americans believe they are better than average drivers.
You don’t need an MBA to see there’s something wrong with that statistic.
We believe we are independent thinkers, but our opinions are influenced by our environment far more than we realize. And once those beliefs are established, they are immune to contradictory evidence.
We assume we have direct access to our inner motivations and desires, but we can’t pin down exactly what we want and what would give us enduring happiness.
Regarding the future, we are terrible at predicting what we would do in a particular situation.
So, does this mean we should stop trying to understand ourselves and what makes us tick?
Of course not.
The scope of human knowledge is expanding faster and faster. It is impossible to keep pace.
But it would be foolish to give up and not try to understand what we can.
Just because we don’t understand exactly how all the organelles inside our cells work doesn’t mean that we can’t learn about good nutrition and basic physical fitness.
Just because we don’t understand everything about neurons, synapses, and the parasympathetic nervous system doesn’t mean that we can’t Learn how to manage stress and improve our mental health.
Just because we don’t understand puts, calls, and margins doesn’t mean that we can’t learn how to make wise investments and hedge against inflation.
We need to learn as much about ourselves as we can, recognizing there is much we don’t understand.
This humility protects us from making stupid claims such as, “I would never do that.”
It also prompts us to extend grace to those who fail to make wise decisions and who act in irrational ways.
Out now on Amazon: The Courageous Heart: Wisdom for Difficult Times, an Eric Hoffer Award Finalist. Grab your copy today.
