Is it us or is it them that cause our low self-esteem?

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   MarieLBposted 8 years ago

   Is it us or is it them that cause our low self-esteem?
   
   Each person is unique and special in her or his right.  Yet some struggle with their own assessment of the perception they give to others, which, amongst other things,  leads to low self-esteem.                 Does that tell you that it is their "fault" or that of "others"?   EG:  Someone asks here "How long did it take you to reach 1000 views, or how much are you making on adsense.  Some are reluctant to answer while others might answer but "round it off" to better results.  Maybe they feel that the readers will see them in enhanced tones.  Does this happen to you or someone you know well ?

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   manatita44posted 8 years ago

   I see two ways of tackling this. Because you have a paragraph in the body of your question, I will say that self-preservation is a must for all, and mostly we are also exercising this, consciously or unconsciously, when answering questions. We wish to protect ourselves or otherwise are engaged in self-love.
   
   As far as the main question is concerned, looked at from the standpoint of Spirituality, each individual is responsible for his or her's own action, and low or high self-esteem, always relates to how we feel inside. We measure the world by our own insecurities, fears or indeed strengths.
   
   This world is a mirror, and can only reflect what we truly are. For the Saint, all life is beautiful, and this Universe is very friendly. There is always a much larger plan, of course, but it is not all, or indeed too many, who are given the gift to appreciate what's truly going on. Nice question. Much Love.

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      MarieLBposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      I absolutely love reading such a mix of responses to a question, each of them valid, but from a different perspective.Thanks manatita44 for your response.  Deep and wise and the spiritual angle is an added bonus.

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   Michaela Osieckiposted 8 years ago

   Let's see, from a sociological perspective, there are a lot of reasons why a person might develop low self-esteem and most of the causes are external. Lack of parental support during childhood, predisposition for being quiet or introverted - making it difficult to connect with people, messages from society or mass media telling us we're not good enough the way we naturally are, etc.
   
   Some people are prone because of internal factors like mental illness that disrupts the way they think or perceive reality.

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      MarieLBposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Michaela, thank you for responding.You were not willing to pin fault to any side [admirable] however, you gave us a very clear view of how low self esteem can take hold.  You add to our education about the subject.  Great.

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   Sherry Thornburgposted 8 years ago

   I say it takes two. 
   
   Other people put ideas in our heads that cause us to self doubt and undervalue ourselves.  They do it to hurt us either for a moment or worse, so they are not off the hook for the damage they do.
   
   But not rejecting their input is our mistake and our problem for internalizing it.  Some of us grow up damaged by this.  As children we accepted anything others who were supposed to love us told us mostly.  As adults we should kick back and reject that crap.

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      MarieLBposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Hi Sherry, thank you for responding.Your years of pro writing show clearly here.  You read the question.  You answered both sides, clearly and briefly.  Fantastic style.

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5. 75

   MarieLBposted 8 years ago

   Thank you to the 3 Hubbers who took the time to read and respond. 
   
   I have enjoyed reading all that you wrote, and I note, that it is interesting that each has looked at the question from a different angle.
   
   Each one was good in its own way, but unfortunately I cannot record three, but one best answer.

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