Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Something to ponder

I'm reading a book called Can Love Last?: The fate of romance over time by Stephen A. Mitchell. It's a fascinating read, especially in my current frame of mind. But I came across a quote that seemed pretty important, especially for all of us that struggle with self-esteem. So read closely, my dears!

"What is healthy is the capacity to sustain multiple estimations of oneself, different ones for different purposes. In this view, an inability to recognize one's shortcomings can be an obstacle to meaningful, mutual exchanges with others. At the same time, a preoccupation with one's shortcomings and an inability to romance one's self can serve as a defense against allowing oneself to become excited about one's potential and engage others in a robust fashion. Knowing oneself is a complicated business, because knowing one version of oneself can be a defense against knowing and being surprised by other versions of oneself. Thus, in contemporary psychoanalytic terms, knowing oneself is much less a goal to be achieved than a process to be immersed in."

I love that idea of romancing oneself...it does feel like a phase that I'm in right now - being a bit in love with myself.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

And long may it last, my friend :)

Anonymous said...

Quite so, dear Spinny, quite so.....but it does not hurt to be romanced by others from time to time either, or romance others for that matter.

HistoryGeek said...

I quite agree, Mystic...I just thought that this paragraph was suited well to, at least, my situation.

Anonymous said...

i liked that one.

Aravis said...

I love the idea of immersing myself in the different estimations of self in order to get a fuller, more balanced picture. Great quote, thanks!

Flash said...

I'm told it's the greatest love of all