Do you agree that you need to know yourself, in order to understand others bette

1. 92

   KimberlyLakeposted 12 years ago

   Do you agree that you need to know yourself, in order to understand others better?

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2. 76

   CloudExplorerposted 12 years ago

   Yes indeed, to know thyself is key to most things in life including that of knowing others outside of you.  I think that once such a realization is achieved, you can truly proceed into many arena's of useful & beneficial communicative relations between others shortly thereafter.
   Awesome Question.

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3. 60

   Neil Sperlingposted 12 years ago

   True - the better you understand yourself - the better you will understand others -- that is correct.... - and I believe the most powerful. - Judging by the comments on my hub 4 types of people - this rings even louder as truth.
   
   But ...... Also - the better you understand others - you "may" choose to look deeper at yourself.
   
   So it can and should go both ways.
   Personal growth is the most delightful and rewarding experience ever...... and helping others grow adds a huge amount of whip cream on top of the desert of life!  :-)

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4. 60

   Apostle Jackposted 12 years ago

   One needs to know God before they can know themselves. God made us and it is He that will have to let us know who we are,and why we are born into this world.
   Then one can understand what direction and path that we should take in this world.
   Otherwise we are wondering spirits with many empty spaces in our life.

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5. 62

   YvetteParkerposted 12 years ago

   You do have to know yourself, but I think it's equally important that you have an open mind. You don't always have to agree with everything about another person and that's perfectly o.k. We're able to learn more about ourselves and others when we see them as God sees them. Just try not to be closed minded and judgmental about others.

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6. 71

   aguasilverposted 12 years ago

   I needed to spend a whole heap of time finding out who I was, the real me had got lost in the world, and I realised that I had created a false me.
   
   That meant that it was impossible for me to know others until I had found out who I really was.
   
   So yes, we do need to know ourselves before we can fully understand others, when we can see our own faults, we can give space to others who have maybe not accepted they even have faults!
   
   Meeting with Christ was what changed my life, God knows who He intended us to be, and will not stop with us until we have become who He created us to be.
   
   Life is wonderful, once you know who you are, and who you should be.

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7. 60

   Dave Mathewsposted 12 years ago

   Yes definitely this is true. How can you understand another if you don't understand yourself?

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   CARIBQUEENposted 12 years ago

   Yes. It is just like loving yourself before loving others.  You are a complex individual, so it is better to understand your own personality which is mixed with different emotions before venturing in understanding others.  Be aware of your own strengths and weaknesses, know the different character traits so you can understand and deal with other individuals showing more compassion towards them.  Remember, to thine own self be true.

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9. 67

   Rastamermaidposted 12 years ago

   Of course you need to know yourself,what you stand for and believe in,if not you go for and follow anything.
   
   A good foundation of understanding self is key to knowing and achieving your goals and dreams.

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10. 73

    EyesStraightAheadposted 12 years ago

    I believe knowing others helps you understand yourself better. By understanding what you like and dislike in others, you are able to identify what it is within yourself that you find most annoying or most engaging. When you really hate that a friend goes on and on bragging about something, maybe it is because you feel inadequate about the way you handle that same area within your life. Or maybe you find that you do the same thing and it is something you would like to change! While it is good to know ourselves, I believe it helpful to start with how we understand others.

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11. 61

    Druid Dudeposted 12 years ago

    Knowing yourself is key to knowing others. We aren't terribly different. Knowing yourself is key to knowing...everything. We are a reflection of not just creation, but the energy which we call God, Allah...or whatever else that energy is called. Within you is another universe.

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12. 60

    NiaLeeposted 12 years ago

    Some people are so able to read and understand others and still struggle to get in touch with themselves... though knowing yourself and being at peace with it allows you to experience life and relationships differently.
    Yes, I agree. I do follow Neil Sperling about the full circle of being... we see and understand ourselves even more through nature and other beings and verse versa, we are a whole together.

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    tgopfrichposted 12 years ago

    Most definitely. If you don't know who you are how are you expected to know fully who others are and have understanding for other people. I could be wrong but I think in order to know others you must know who you are and what you stand for.

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    rajan jollyposted 12 years ago

    Yes. but that's the most difficult part because we cannot accept the fact that we are not perfect. If only we understand this and start liking ourselves as we are, then can we understand others and appreciate them for what they actually are and not what we want them to be.
    While I do believe that we can always improve and so can everyone. Still, we must accept ourselves and others as we are.

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    LucidWarriorposted 12 years ago

    Aguasilver, I love your answer.
    
    After my marriage ended I knew I needed to get real with myself in order to move on to a better relationship so I spent a week in the Rocky Mountains getting connected and digging into who I was and who I wanted to be. It was a very healing experience. I still take time to understand myself better. As a parent I find it important to live an authetic life so my kids have a good example to learn from.
    
    Great question.

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    Stevethepainterposted 12 years ago

    I would say that making the Effort (emphasised) to understand yourself as well as others is more important than having an intellectual "understanding" of what motivates/drives other people.
    
    In other words: having the empathy required to even attempt Understanding is more important than being analytical.

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17. 64

    soconfidentposted 12 years ago

    yes, after all you a human just like them. You cry and laugh just like they do.

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    sudip210389posted 12 years ago

    yes ofcourse
    
    That meant that it was impossible for me to know others until I had found out who I really was.

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    speedy99posted 12 years ago

    It all depends on how the other person is viewed. Many times we we feel that we know who we are in terms of security, social ,economical, and educational status.
    In essence we feel prepared to confront "them," however, because of the fact that we think we know ourselves, we end up ignoring the plight of those less fortunate.

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20. 60

    Ali Hendaouiposted 12 years ago

    I don't see how would you understand anything not just anybody if you don't know yourself first?!

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21. 59

    Smalltowngrl1375posted 12 years ago

    Completely! How am I to give advice if I can't take advice myself? If I can't see what life events have helped me, how do I use those to help others? You can't love someone without loving yourself first, and I believe that goes the same way with this question!

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22. 0

    Flickrposted 12 years ago

    I think it's important to know and understand yourself not matter what. Being able to understand other people is an art learned and developed over time.

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23. 61

    Bravo Lelouchposted 12 years ago

    absolutely...not only do our lives improve, but also other people's behavior becomes easier to understand. From this space, compassion develops. When we reach that point of understanding ourselves, it finally makes life worth living.

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24. 60

    Scott Stephensonposted 12 years ago

    I think it’s easier to understand others because our minds are set free from our own sense of inadequacy and or urgency towards our own set of evolving circumstances. We feel that we have time to reason things out for another because we are operating on a different mental plane than they are. Time does not exist for us in the same way as it does for them. In our own lives however we feel rushed into making decisions before we have had time to think things over and so we have never truly had time to know and understand ourselves. It’s very frustrating when others will not take the time to understand us, and therefore identify us as the problem, rather than part of the solution.

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    joanakeposted 12 years ago

    Yup most definitely. How people usually understand things is by relating to it via personal experiences and feelings. If you do not know yourself well, you can't 'connect the dots' even within your internal being to find common ground with the other person?
    
    Besides the fear of the unknown is a psychological effect in most people where they reject or dislike all unfamiliar things simply because they feel threatened (out of their comfort zone) by the presence of this unfamiliarity.

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    Cre8torposted 12 years ago

    I don't neccessarily believe this is true. I suppose I look at it like, I don't have to be a be car to understand how it works. Don't get me wrong, I believe it's important for one to know what they're made of, but don't think it's a must to see others for who they are or what they're about.

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27. 58

    oobiagoposted 12 years ago

    Yes. Knowing yourself is imperative to understanding others, because when we  know our own character, moods, peeves, and imperfections, it's a lot easier to recognize these same traits existent in others. When we figure out how imperfect we are, we  must concentrate on the fact that we can improve upon ourselves, and love one another regardless of our imperfections. After all, when you love yourself, it's much easier to be nonjudgmental towards others. With experience in life, it becomes a lot easier to recognize that as human beings, we often go through different phases in our lives and that we have to exercise understanding, patience, and grace during the most challenging times; in respect to the many life phases of unique individuals at various stages of growth.  Such phases would bring about certain moods in people just as life has brought about various moods in you. We must always consider factors such as; our special backgrounds, culture, religion, and environmental factors.  In doing so this could improve upon our relationships with a wider range of people, and encourage more patience and understanding for unknown variables when their behavior or interaction is offensive, alarming, surprising, or unpredictable. Also, be open-minded to accept that their odd behavior may have nothing to do with you directly. Finally, always remember to never to expect anything from the unexpected, and to always set a high standard for your own conduct no matter what the situation.  If we can remember this, we would generally be more grateful in our interaction with people, as opposed to frustrated or disappointed.

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    AnnaCiaposted 12 years ago

    Let me see if I can explain myself.  I need to know myself even though I do not necessarily understand certain things regarding my obsession, reactions, feelings, thoughts, etc.  I do know myself, although I really can shock myself at times.  On the other hand, knowing myself helps in the process of understanding others, meaning that I am able to comprehend, to have a personal perception towards others.

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