Knowing Thyself

One major part of becoming a good, respectful citizen is having the ability to know your true self. Being able to know yourself is knowing the causes and effects of your thoughts and actions. Knowing one's self also involves the acknowledgement of one's strengths and weaknesses. Knowing your strengths can allow you to use them in situations, and knowing your weaknesses allows you to work on improving them, to become a better person. These actions often include interaction with others in a society. With the knowledge of thyself one can become a better person. People always look for ways to please others and improve their character. Knowing your true self can allow for a balance in one's personality. This equality is usually achieving what a person sees as the "ideal" character.

In a society, there are groups and individuals who influence a person with whom they interact. These groups are called agents of socialization. These agents may include the media, family, peers, and even school. They alter the person by affecting them as they develop in society. This process is called socialization. Socialization is the learning of the norms of a society by a given person. So the agents of socialization with whom the person interacts will affect their views of society including who the person hangs out with, their beliefs, and how they interact with other members of the society. Agents of socialization will thus change how a person views themselves. If a person can overcome the exterior influences on their thoughts and actions, they can begin to improve who they are.

I tend to have a few weaknesses that show up on occasion. I find myself to be too shy. A lot of times I tend to regret actions or lack there of because I am too shy. In order to become more social and talkative, I make sure that I get plenty of sleep. With enough rest, I have found that I become more socially active. I also try to thrive on any attention that is given to me. If I find that I have the spotlight, I build off of this so that I can interact with others more often. With this shyness, I also can be very insecure, and have a somewhat low self esteem. I become very self-conscious and worry about what other people think of me. To try to combat this insecurity, I build off of times when I get complimented. I also try to please other people, so that they will develop a liking for me. This way I will never find myself insecure around them, because I know that they accept me.

On the other hand, I do acknowledge some of the strengths of my character. I am a very generous person. If someone needs assistance, I just may be the only person willing to help them out. I am so generous at times that others get frustrated with me when I give some much to the people around me. Knowing that I am generous, I can use this to balance out my character. I can also use this to rid of or simply combat my weaknesses. My generosity is used to make friends, and be more social. This is a true example of how the knowledge of my true self can aid me in becoming the person I want to be.

At times, it may be hard to acknowledge one's strengths and weaknesses. People are often modest, and do not like to "brag" about themselves. On the other hand, people may be too embarassed or cocky to discuss their weaknesses to others. I personally do not have any difficulty discussing my strengths and weaknesses. This may be because I have a more balanced personality, and am able to recognize my strengths and weaknesses. This ability should be cherished by anyone, because knowing what to improve and what to use can aid in improving one's character.