The Self: An Evolving Constant

The Self: An Evolving Constant

A true yet perplexing paradox of self is that it is an evolving constant. It is that stable sense of constancy yet it also embodies an undeniable fluidity over time. This irony captures the Self in its most fundamental dualism. It may be an understatement to say that although there is this deep inner core of you, you are still ever changing all the time. I feel this is something that we can all relate to, at least on some basic level. So the question is how could this possibly be true? Is there any possible explanation to explain how you can be both constant yet evolving? This is the fascinating intrigue of the conundrum! Your true nature is your core being; however, this does not mean that you cannot discover new fascinating facets of yourself throughout your entire life. By exploring new interests you may serendipitously find surprises that give way to the natural gifts that have been waiting to be realized.

The observable External Self: The point of focus here is to take a look at your external features, your physical characteristics that detail your self portrait. This physical form of you is the house that your soul lives in. It is your self experiencing this life. This external picture of how you look is oftentimes only what others may first see of you. It is your physicality, the tangible aspects of your being. With this said, interesting considerations are called into question as you stop and think about the natural aging phenomenon. In many ways it can be regarded as an astonishing progression in that you “will” look different during each stage of your life; yet you are still that stable self evolving as the same person. Have you ever looked at your pictures as a newborn, baby, toddler, child, pre-teen, teen and young adult and wondered how the passage of time has created such changes? As you mature through your adulthood, middle age, older adult and if so blessed by longevity, become an elderly person, what impression do you form as you witness these changes? One may ask whether it is the continual passage of time that causes you to change, or do you change while moving through this abstract called time? It may very well be that this is one and the same? What are the most stable features about you that are noted from your portrait view? Have your eyes remained the same color throughout your life? Is your hair the same, or has it changed? Maybe you chose to change your hair color or style in order to create a new look just so you can feel differently than you did before? Are your features the same or have they too changed as well? Your body composition, self perceived image, and total self assessment impact your feelings of overall self-esteem. Your inside can certainly be affected by your outside house, though it is the invisible inside that is your true self.

The Invisible Internal Self : Your perceptions and beliefs are how you view the self, others, the world you experience and also your future. Core beliefs are the strongest engrained beliefs that run on automatic and often go unnoticed. These core beliefs can either be helpful or hurtful to you. This calls for a practice in mindfulness. It is up to you to raise your awareness by monitoring your inner dialogue which reflects what these core beliefs are. As you engage in journaling, you will be able to recognize them ever more clearly. Both process and content reveal valuable information that influences your internal self. Process is the way in which you think i.e. for example do you use deductive or inductive reasoning? Do you trust what your gut says or do you use reasoning? The content is precisely what you believe ,i.e.. I am “abc” or I am “xyz”. Together process and content influence the respective choices you make when you take action, which in turn impacts your sense of self. Yes, it is and does become a feedback loop.

It is important to say, however, that there’s really no need to intellectualize all of your experience since in many ways it is just part of the larger whole, which is the way the Tao is. Who you are now is the living aggregate of all your thoughts, feelings and actions, as Dr. Wayne Dyer notes in his book “Change Your Thoughts-Change Your Life”. Particularly, the elusive nature of the Tao is a life long learning that remains infinite by nature (Dyer, 2007). In this regard what we can do is honor the sacredness of self as the constancy within the ever changing Tao. Many would say that there is great beauty about this, though it comes with the price of uncertainty.

Impermanence: At the very last moment of your breath, both your external and internal qualities eventually merge into the realm of impermanence. Would you agree? And if so what might this mean to you? Since your physical form and thought processes are impermanent than it seems that we may have another paradox to ponder if you believe that the soul is eternal and present. The eternal soul faces the fact that a mortal body must die. I wonder whether the Soul Self stops evolving upon death, or does it continuously remain an evolving constant? It is up to your own Self to find the answer that works for you.