Answers to "Know Yourself?"
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1. The first statement is true: "It is possible to know yourself."
Not only is it possible to know yourself, it is also essential to finding self-fulfillment. 'Know Yourself' was carved on the temple portal at Delphi in ancient Greece more than 25 centuries ago. People from all walks of life have since tried to understand this simple yet powerful phrase. The quest for self-knowledge continues to inspire and captivate people's imagination throughout the centuries.
2. Both statements are true: "Searching your heart leads to self-knowledge" and "Knowing another person leads to self-knowledge."
Socrates comments (in Plato's "Phaedrus") that when the beloved sees the face of his lover then he comes to know himself. When one soul comes to know another soul, then the soul also comes to know itself. This kind of self-knowledge, which is reflected in the knowledge of another, is a fitting complement to the self-knowledge that one finds through searching one's own heart.
3. The first statement is true: "Self-knowledge leads to wisdom."
Lao Tzu said, "Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom." In Plato's dialogues, Socrates advocates self-knowledge as the path to wisdom. Augustine promotes self-knowledge as most intimately linked to knowledge of the Divine, and thus as the highest wisdom.
4. Both statements are true: "Happiness is the fulfillment of your desires" and "Happiness is being truly loved."
Finding perfect love would be the ultimate happiness, and undoubtedly that which everyone desires. So the two statements can be seen to be intimately connected--they are by no means opposed to one another. Augustine qualifies the first statement: the fulfillment of your desires will lead to happiness only if you desire that which is good for you.
5. Neither statement is true: Neither "Men are superior to women" nor "Women are superior to men."
Man and woman are equal in dignity while they are complementary in their roles. They enjoy unity in their diversity and equality in their complementarity. If either one offends the other then the offender diminishes his or her own value and dignity as well. When either one honours the other then he or she effectively honours himself or herself too.
6. The second statement is true: "The mind does not see everything that is in the heart."
The heart often contains thoughts, feelings, and memories which are not transparent, that is, which do not always appear in our conscious mind. That is why we often say that you must search your heart or soul in order to discover what is hidden there. This is a lifelong journey. Coming to know your own heart, your own self, is intimately linked to all the events in your life and is the most exciting adventure of all.
7. Neither statement is true: Neither "Imagination is limited by experience" nor "Imagination is limited by knowledge."
Einstein once said that "Imagination is more important than knowledge." Imagination can transcend the limits of both knowledge and experience. Imagination is an inexhaustible source of spontaneous and creative energy that is as free as the spirit in which it lives. That is why the human flair for creativity often surprises and astounds us with its results.
8. Both statements are true: "Peace is the absence of war" and "Peace is a state of the mind."
The absence of war bestows a political kind of peace, which is an exterior peace. The deeper kind of peace is interior: it is peace of mind, an inner state of being. Interior peace is nourished by virtue, equal with grace, accompanies wisdom, the health of the soul, the foundation of exterior peace, and the desire of all.
9. Both statements are true: "Actions speak louder than words" and "Words are mightier than the sword."
The "sword" implies aggression or violence, and this form of action is not as strong as the "word" or the "pen", for human hearts have always been moved more powerfully by deep words than by violence. However, human action or ethical action is even more powerful than words, and hence the saying that "actions speak louder than words."
10. The second statement is true: "Perceptions are not always accurate."
Perceptions are often coloured by our experiences, emotions, preconceptions and ignorance. Sometimes, however, our perceptions are true. Learning to distinguish between these two things is difficult. The criteria we try to establish for true perception are always subject to our individual assessment and our perception. In spite of these difficulties, the human mind still manages to ascend to truth by degrees.