Meditation 50: On Being Yourself

One of the imperatives that came out of the cultural revolutions of the 1960's was the injunction "Be Yourself."  Why should you "Be Yourself?"  One reason is that "Being Yourself" is better than trying to be someone else, someone you can never be, since you are not that other person.  You are always going to be a failure trying to be someone you are not. Wanting to be someone else leads to constant frustration, dissatisfaction, envy, and finally, malice.  The injunction also meant something like "Don't worry about the Joneses."  It does not matter that you do not, but they do, get invited to all the smart parties, drive a fancy car, carry a mobile phone, ipod, wireless Internet laptop, and go in for perfect teeth and flawless skin. What matters is that you are yourself, and that you allow others to be as they are.

However, what if it is a drag in some ways to "Be Yourself?" Are we condemned always to be ourselves?  Has one always been the same, or already changed significantly over time? Are you the same self you were many years ago? Will one remain the same?  Are we powerless in the face of the self?  I could be a better person in many ways, and I daresay, you could, too. There is room for improvement in all areas.  So how is one to improve if one must obey the injunction "Be Yourself."                                                                                                

A better injunction for living is "Become Yourself," for this emphasizes that our lives are processes in the middle of which we always find ourselves, and outside of which we know nothing.  Try to be someone you are not.  Why not try?  We become what we are through what we are not. Try to be like someone you would want to be. It is true that this leads to a life of striving to do better, and that takes effort, but the self that becomes will thank you for it.