Why Introspection Matters
Vložit
- čas přidán 6. 11. 2016
- Most of our mistakes come down to one crucial error: our failure to understand ourselves well enough. That’s why we need to learn the art of introspection.
Enjoying our CZcams videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: t.ly/0Z6AB
Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: t.ly/29pmd
The School of Life runs a global online psychotherapy service that assists clients from over 40 countries. To find out more and book a session today, please visit our website: t.ly/xP3EL
FURTHER READING
“One of the hardest things to describe or to be properly aware of is what it feels like to be inside our own minds: the second-by-second flow of images, words, feelings and sounds inside our heads that philosophers call our ‘consciousness’…”
You can read more on this and other topics here: goo.gl/UqYE5h
MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE
Watch more films on SELF in our playlist:
bit.ly/TSOLself
SOCIAL MEDIA
Feel free to follow us at the links below:
Facebook: / theschooloflifelondon
X: / theschooloflife
Instagram: / theschooloflifelondon
CREDITS
Produced in collaboration with:
Tom Kemp
www.tomkkemp.biz/ #TheSchoolOfLife
Lots of people don't want to go within, because they think it's too hard. It too scary. But everything...EVERYTHING we seek from external sources? We can find in ourselves. It seems so silly now that we grow up being so concerned about loving others, yet no one really teaches you to love yourself. It's the most freeing thing I've ever done.
Self-love is instrumental no doubt, but I'm the type of person who likes to think in extremes when it comes to testing ideas. Do you think self-love would be a suitable antidote to one's suffering if one were to commit a crime as horrific as cold blooded murder? I think we have the subconscious tendency to only articulate things through the scope of our more privileged social classes. We are inclined to forget the millions of people, especially those from lower social classes, who are more prone in dealing with dilemmas such where self-love might not ever be possible for them, due to the irreversible circumstances they were put in.
i guess self love is ambiguous. It feels really good, i admit, but it can lead to ignorance and self obsession. I fancy the idea of aspiring an equilibrium between self hate and self love and hence stoping to be obsessed with ourselves and instead care about and compassionately live with other people.
jonas w. I agree, only that I would also say we should have an equilibrium of love and hate for others too. Rationality should act as the backdrop of all this. We should rationally analyze that which deserves to be loved and that which deserves to be hated.
I agree - I had to leave my culture completely and meditate for weeks to heal my self
I love your comment!
"The creature wasn't murderous, it was in agony."
Great quote that encapsulates the concept of human suffering and evil.
i've never thought of it this way. it made me cry for some reason. bless you for this comment
I strongly recommend writing down your thoughts and keep a record of them. It's a useful catharsis. It's also a good way of understanding yourself better, piece by piece. Hope this helps.
I find organization of what I'm writing to be vital, because I produce a lot and don't know how to store it. I know that the important life lessons will be stored in my memory but I want to hold onto everything else too - notions, fantasies, abstract revelations and so on.
I hate writing.
I think this is also called cognitive therapy. Very effective.
Mustafa Kulle use to do that I called in poetry I read it back understand I was confused when I wrote my poetry at 15. it is good to do
I've just started doing this every night for 30 to 45 minutes starting two weeks ago. Unbelievable benefits. What I do is I look for a question on Quora that triggers me. Then instead of answering the questions online, I write the answer in my journal as if I'm speaking to someone. The insights I have gained are tremendous. It's also organised my thinking in a way which is hard to describe. I take these to therapy. Early days. BTW, your advice is like the boy who removed the thorn. Thank you
@@jasonjackson3114 thanks for sharing that, i am also gonna try that!
Honesty is probably the most important part of introspection, though. You can only discover the source of your pain, if you admit to yourself that that specific thing hurts you.
the animation is just mind blowing.
The narration too
This kind of ''story" telling is better to understand. Thank you.
Varun G yep, the combination of the narrative and art keeps our attention glued to the video
I know. The guys voice is so soothing.
This channel is always an emotional roller coaster...
Up and Atom just like life.
Physics and psychology 💙💚
It's not the channel... ;)
Maybe we are the emotional roller coasters :) this Channel just sheds a light on it, brings all the suppressed mess to the surface...
@@mossablahmaza damn, you're right...
this should be taught in schools.
Absolutely!
Amar Bhujbal most of the videos in this channel should.
Thats why this channel is called School of LIfe. And I think I would when I fininsh college
-
No it shouldn't. It is a psuedo science.
I'm mad at my friend for his mood swings and inappropriate, passive aggressive behavior but this video encourages me to view him in a different manner. I want so badly to forgive, and it's so hard.
I haven't encountered many things as enlightening and empowering as this channel.. it is absolute gold. Eternally grateful to its creators.
Possible synonyms for introspect (examination of one's own thoughts and feelings): hindsight, retrospect, reflection, meditation, self-assessment, self-actualization, self-realization.
This animation was especially well suited for the narration. There is no other way to describe this video better than simply saying it was 'pleasant', the word seems to capture the video's essence wonderfully
Would be cool if you'd make a video about ways of introspection and detecting mental fallacies
looking forward to it!!
The School of Life can you post/mention the link here.
TheHalawaniTube this was what i was hoping for it to ve
that's impossible. The act of introspection is an act of the conscious mind just like the object of its study, so it's impossible to create distance or to extract logical conclusions from direct "observation" of one's own mind.
My approach is reading books/articles about bias or more generally speaking psychology/philosophy/self help/spiritual, or watching videos like this and then thinking about how it applies to me. Try to be open minded and honest. Then i add in some mindfulness meditation, journaling, rinse and repeat.
That and if i get an opportunity to have conversations on the subject i take them. i learn a lot about what i know about a subject by trying to communicate it to other people.
it's not sure fire. i still have pains that i don't know the source of and haven't learned to accept. that's part of life though. my method so far has lead me to a lot of acceptance, patience, and forgiveness. so far so good, but there are always new challenges when being introspective.
What do you guys do?
I think it is very important, during the introspection process, to forgive ourselves and others. During the course of our lives, especially if one suffers from low self-esteem, one tends to blame oneself if an event goes wrong. School of Life, how does one forgive oneself? And not only that, but how does one acquire back the zest of life?
Fd as you forgive yourself by remembering that you're a human being. And human beings make mistakes. It's how we grow. Forgive yourself by being kind to yourself. Forgive yourself by not allowing the same patterns from your past define your future. It isn't easy, but man. It's a lot better than carrying all that around. Don't carry mountains you were meant to climb. Climb it and be done with it.
Hello Fd as. I have found that the best way to forgive yourself is to pretend your own child has trouble forgiving themselves. Would you talk to your child the same way you talk to yourself? When they came to you for help, would you speak to them the same way you speak to yourself? Would you belittle them and tell them they are bad? I don't think you would do that to your child. So, why treat yourself so harshly as well. I hope you find peace.
Never forgive yourself. Stop making yourself a victim own your mistakes and learn from them, change what you need to and move on. You can forgive others and other can forgive you, but forgiving yourself is pointless you will learn nothing and probably come to the wrong conclusion. It's just self-pity and mental masturbation.
I believe self-pity is a very needed coping mechanism with self-hate, and fortunately the SoL has covered this in another video.
In this difficult life we all exist in, what makes the world Beautiful? Compassion, being kind to others and oneself is a value we all need to appreciate and practise. No matter what mistakes, guilt, regret or despair you have, learn to pity yourself, only then can one break the vicious cycle of self hatred, and open up the potential for gaining "zest in life".
Also, I guess that self criticism has its benefits as well, but only when one is emotionally strong enough to accept one's mistakes and learn from it. So self criticism is needed for our improvement as well. As a balance, we need to have self pity to help ourselves love the part of ourselves that hate ourselves (this little complication here I find beautiful too).
Patrick Outhier, best answer man, very thoughtful!
Learning to love yourself is the true essence of living
shit load better than church
aye lmao.
That depends on which church you go to.
h0m3st4r any and all of them.
You described my life so accurately. But i don't know how to find the thorn. Wish you could have another video on this subject.
Ｍ. ＭＡＨＡＪＡＮ Try keeping a dream journal or a diary in general. It helps
Sometimes the thorn is to deep to find and extract.
have you looked at "Philosophical Meditation" by the school of life? There are two: one narrated by a woman, the other by Alain de Botton himself. They are both worth watching, and helped me find some of my thorns..cheers!
If you can learn to be able to accept any possiblity and use it as a learning lesson for yourself l, then you will find the "thorn" acceptance and introspection go hand and hand
Did you find it?
I bloody love this channel.
Introspection is undoubtedly a step in the right direction. Being aware of the belief systems we hold gives us a pathway towards the origins of many self held limiting beliefs. It is also equally important to not judge oneself about the belief systems that arise while introspecting, as many of them are very dark in nature, and are essentially the reason behind one's agony. Acknowledgement is the first step towards self-actualization.
I've grown in the heart of the Atlas mountains in Morocco where stands the highest peak of them all, Mount Toubkal, as a kid i remember hearing the lion fable from our elders but without the roman emperor part.
I've been "addicted" to the same videogame for almost three years now, spent hundreds of dollars only to avoid my sense of underachievement and failure to adapt to the new and harsh reality of my country, Syria.
I've changed so much in the last few years, from a confident outgoing person to melancholic introvert cut off from the world outside. I refused every opportunity to leave the country, cocooned in my room holding tight to decade-old memories of people and places long gone. I'm always distant confused and edgy. What scares me most isn't death, of which there's plenty around, but failing to live life.
This video.. Clearly moved something in me, but what's the point when I can't find an answer within me.
Dear Matthias, I would have just liked and moved on, but I had to reach out to you, one way or another. We all long to hold on to past memories, and 'your home' of the past, as it is no longer there. The war being waged in Syria, is one of the worst, and what is hurtful are the people who are currently embroiled in it. I am also in between countries, but all I can do is reach out, if you ever need someone to talk to, feel free to send me an email (bhavleen87@gmail.com). I am sorry for the pain you are undergoing and the imminent threat you and your family is in, at this very moment.
this is really quite sad.
maybe you will recover.
i hope you do, but we never know. There is nothing i can do for you except offer pity.
i know nothing about you, except what i have just red. I do hope the conflict stops, but it probably won't.
i'm sure you will eventually reach the decision of whether to save up money and leave to a unfamiliar, but less dangerous place, or stay where you are.
go for a walk every once a while to think things through, it works for me. maybe talk to a close friend about it, or go to a therapist.
maybe you blame yourself for the dissapearence of those places or people, which gets you stuck in the past...
I can't pretend to know how it feels. But I've found serving others always brings happiness. Try to bring happiness and help to those around you who are going through the same, even if just through verbal support. That will bring them happiness, and you happiness in return. I'm sure you do that already. Sorry that's all I could think of.
The trick to "living" life is not to get caught up on the definition of what living life means. Someone could be healthy and feel like they are "living" their life by collecting stamps, alone in a log cabin in Alaska. Someone could be disabled from the waist down, wheelchair stricken and unable to do the conventional "living" things that people think those who are alive do, jump cliffs, live on the edge etc. But What he does love is helping others, despite his condition he feels overwhelmingly content with just helping others once it doesn't negatively affect him. Are they wrong? Are their feelings of feeling "alive" false? Of course not. Its Subjective just like music and books are to people.
My point is: If you enjoy something, anything, and you feel you are happy and healthy both physically/socially, you are "living life". The fact that you are breathing to this day to tell this story is evidence of that fact. You are an amazingly complex creature, one that has defied all odds and spurted into existence. Your life is yours. No one else's. You own yourself and you can do what you please with yourself. Once your healthy as you try to be, you have the luxury of living how you like.
I Just wanted to say, i can't begin to imagine the situation you are in. No one, certainly not me can blame you for looking for an escape to the reality you are faced with. However given the fact that you searched for this video on introspection i hope you will find enlightenment soon.
Best wishes.
I know it's been 2 years since you posted this but I really hope you're better, Matthias.
I actively introspect constantly and it's made me life so much better, and has even improved my work as an artist, it helps me write and create genuinely.
This channel is like all the teachings my parents wished they could instill in me, but either didn't have to time or the wisdom to do so. Thank you.
In the end, it was the stranger that saw the thorn.
This might mean that in addition to introspection, we should be more open to how those around diagnose our pain. Strangers to Ourselves is a great book that provides some insight on the topic of introspection.
Sometimes the stranger within ourselves is the one who finally sees the thorn.
Thank you, School Of Life! You're teaching life lessons that parents were suppose to teach their kids.
Which we should in turn teach ours :)
Farrow Agreed! :)))
Pleasure to listen to as well as watch. The art style on these videos is inspiring.
Yes the animation and the characters were so differently and nicely portrayed. They seemed to convey their meaning in their form. :-)
This has been one of my favorite videos. I've been having issues with depression lately, and I feel this may help me. Thank you.
This is beautiful. I'm crying right now, really needed to hear this. Thank you.
Great video. Watched this one with my kids. We'll be (hopefully) implementing the idea of asking "Where's the thorn?" when we're upset. Thanks!
Very smart decision !!
Most of the points made really hit the thorn on the head.
Ouch.
After self discovery we must press on to self creation.
I just want to say this is the most gorgeous channel I have ever come across and it helps me immensely as someone with a deeply troubling past trying to cope I don't feel alone when I watch your videos.
This is so beautifully depicted and told. I’ve definitely let my lion condemn those around me and other innocent people. I never could quite grasp as to why I was kind to most, but terrible to those closest to me.
On the road to self care, knowledge of self, and improvement.
Thank you so much!
Oh my god, talk about the right video at the right time, in my case. It's actually one of these things that is quite obvious when you think about it, but is easy to lose track on. Thank you so very much! You made me feel better!
I didn't know how much I needed this until after seeing it.
your channel is the best thing that i have ever found in years, i can't explain how much thankful i am, thank you very much for making those videos.
The message in every video... the meaning, through the voice of this guy is everything...
I find interesting that in the story of the lion he rages at the village "at night", also the shepherd came to calmed him at night. I think whoever wrote the story had in mind that most of our painful thoughts AND meditational introspections happen at night away from the daily distractions.
Love these videos, great to see this channel has grown so much and so quickly! Introspection is hard to do sometimes when surface, and symptoms are more easily identifiable....
To me, your channel exemplifies the value and promise of the www and social media. Thank you for sharing your perspective with us all.
I found listening to this very calming. I am suffering from social anxiety and avoidant personality disorders. I wish I could locate and remove the thorns but so far I've only been able to numb the pain at much cost to myself.
Every week I look forward to watching these videos, almost every single one is so relatable and gives me so much good food for thought. Thank you for these videos, each is so uniquely helpful and comforting, and full of great content. Please keep making these ☺️
Great story about how introspection can help us really solve our problems instead of just thrashing around and frightening everyone around us!
Great video. This also relates to Carl Jungs work on the Unconscious Mind and the Shadow, which I recommend people look into as it is invaluable information.
I got emotional after this watching this clip, this channel is really changing my life for the best.
Introspection was our first lesson in our Philosophy class, and until now I still have trouble 'knowing myself'. However, this video actually gave me a more simple and easier understanding of introspection.
Introspection is a crucial part of my life for self understanding and personal growth. Adventuring into the unknown of myself and discovering what lies within the depths of my subconscious is exciting.
I come to those videos and this Channel for an Inner peace 😊
I really enjoyed this video. This story in the beginning streamed right into real life scenarios, and the wiggly thorn and lion headdresses were a perfect bridge.
The animation in this video is a masterpiece. Huge props to the animation team for this channel!
such a nice art. the channel has aged very well and i am glad to watch ever since its early steps
As I was watching, I wondered how they will connect the fable to our faults and then BAM! How brilliant.
Wow.. And I always underestimated how well I could introspect and how in tune I am with myself.
Up until now I have always believed that the moral of Androcles was that one good turn deserves another. Turning inward is a fascinating interpretation.
Omg thank you so much I had a dream very similar to this years ago, now I know what my inner self was trying to tell me. Thank you sooo much blessed be.
This video was beautiful and insightful, and it helped me. I genuinely want to thank you, you are doing great work.
This is so true: I lost my best friend in a car accident. And I did sooo well, I thought. But at work I was grumpy, I worked to hard and was close to a burn-out.
I went to get help and this video was exactly what the man said to me. Quite the learning curve, to be honest :)
this is, by far, one of my most favorite videos on your channel. thank you thank you THANK YOU ever so much for your content.
Honestly something that changed my life in different aspects that I could never have even considered was writing down what I was thinking without holding back. I realized how little I know myself, what my priorities are, understand my problem solving techniques and the flaws I never noticed, leading to addressing repressed emotions I never identified as traumatic and I'm able to decipher everything providing a beaming light in the fog I was once in. Led me to finding myself and the ones I love. I truly recommend taking time throughout your day and especially before bed to let your mind breath on a tangible piece of paper you can reflect on.
I really loved this comment. I’m going to shout it out in one of my next videos! So thoughtful and deliberate.
This is quite fascinating in terms of timing. My advice to anyone out there is to be aware of your intrinsic preferences. I think regardless of whatever else you may be lacking or if you're messed up in some other ways, know what sort of person you are and thus what environment or people you require to be at least be content if enough happy. From there it should be easier to work on everything else assuming you don't get too content and distracted.
Beautiful. This is another great perspective for me on how introversion can be a strength. This is an amazing channel.
What if we saw someone else's thorn, and try to pull it out but they devour you instead? What do?
Become a ghost and "go to your heaven". Sometimes, the person needs to pull her own thorn to be happy.
Pull it out gently. Very gently ;)
gustinex Try and communicate your good intentions gently as you can.
Just as the boy with the lion, you approach gently, reassure and communicate. After that trust is built, you pull the thorn.
Don't try to pull it yourself. Tell them, make them aware and help them if they ask you to 🙂
So many seem to prefer to project this onto others. Then become annoyed or even angry when the other is “ungrateful” for the unsolicited “help”. This is a great video.
My question is where does someone get the profound knowledge to write a script for something like this.
Many of the ancient philosophers used to travel to the forest alone, and they would stay there for days or maybe weeks, they would just be thinking and thinking, watchin the others actions and doing a lot of reflection about life. I mean, they didn't have TV and Internet back then, so what they would be doing is working, talking to each other, and be thinking and sharing ideas, you see, my point here is that these ideas are born from reflection and a lot of introspection, most of the biggest artists and writers were lonely people, and it says so in a video of this channel called ''Why we are fated to be lonely'', ''the history of art is the memory of those who never found someone to talk to in the vicinity...''. At least this is my point of view, I'm a lonely person and due to that I've had the oportunity to get to know myself better, why do I do/like/hate this and why that, and so on.
@@xamansisimo I think you can also have a good introspection when you have friends and family. I mean, of course being alone and away from distractions is very important. But you can do that and also spend time with other people.
Thanks for this. It spoke to me about a personal issue I have struggled with for months.
Absolutely breathtaking and resonating
Sometimes The School of Life has the exact video ready and released right when I need it. I both hope for and dread the day that I may no longer need their insight to help me organize my thoughts and feelings.
one of the best videos from School of Life
Brilliant.. I didn't know this interpretation of the tale of Androcles till date.. Thanks a ton for your videos!!
i wish i saw this video before, it took me years to realize how important it is to know yourself
Thank you for this video! :D this made me think differently about myself in the best way.
I love the way this story has been used.
This is quickly becoming one of my favourite channels
Very helpful and easy to understand. Thank you school of life!
Wow, this puts things into perspective
I did a video on Introspection myself. I really like the way it was told in story form.
This is amazing! So relevant that it's scary.
Best video yet. Thank you Alain.
Today is 25-th and this number is symbol for introspection thus i stumbled upon this video. I LOVE the lion story. I actually read about it in Latin Quotes book. Thanks for the superb video
This is better than religion.
In my experience, I've seen much (but not all) religion assist in the introspective process.
tile late í dont know this sounds like a sermon í can hear any sunday just told in an "enlightened" concept. same logic different ways of explaining it.
not really, because religion always comes from within, and this video is better then who taught us religion. I am strongly believe any religion wasn't the problem, BUT the people are whether who teach it to us or the people :)
a sermon with enlightened concepts around it. Well I haven't been to church in years but it seems like, actually, the school of life is the teaching without all the religious concepts around it.
as if religion had a part in the videos content
Really enjoyed this allegory. Gets the msg across more profoundly.
This message is also explained very well in the book ''The Chimp Paradox''- it all adds up! Definitely recommend that book. Wonderful film, as always
I came close to tears after watching this.
I had a huge smile throughout this whole video.
That should teach us to be more humble. We are not the rational sensible people we think we are. Every time we find ourselves justified to hurt another person, we should remember there's an injured lion in us. And if we tame him, you will feel sorry for and sympathetic to those who haven't.
Hessam Mousavi what if they r hurting us?
They need help. They have problems, thorns, childhood patterns, etc. and are unable to see them.
I wish humans made as much sense as this video does. We're just very broken, complicated machines.
Thank you for producing and sharing this kind of content.
thank you for your video --I really needed to listen to this--
Why DOES introspection matter? The last few seconds summarized it all perfectly ...
".. Our stream of consciousness contains a reservoir of muddled hints about our woes - which need to be gathered and decoded. The art of living, is to a large measure, dependent on an ability to locate our thorns accurately and in good time ... so that we will not forever be condemned to suffer our symptoms and terrify strangers with our 'roars'."
Bravo!
#SchoolOfLife
Perfect. Thank you for this!
I love the animations in this video. the tongue high five! xD
What a fantastic way to learn.
i need more stories being told on this channel. i legit almost fell asleep.
Depressed until I saw this. Thank you again School of Life!
I love this channel and Alain De Botton.
Can you guys make a video about the introspective personality. At least about people with heightened introspective personality.
TheElyzium no such thing as an introspective/introverted personality.
www.16personalities.com/articles/the-introspective-personality
Check out 'Enneagram type 4'.
+TheElyzium
There is an inborn nature in us called HSP ( highly sensitive people ), we are the 20% of the whole population. You may find information in any HSP homepage as well as CZcams tutorials about the connection between highly sensibility and introspection.
4:50 the wall with string connectors reminds me of "A Beutiful Mind"
Really clarifying video, thank you!
This is the best animation so far!
Wow. This....this brought a lot of things to the surface. Feels really good and saddening at the same time😐
My thorn is staying up late and watching CZcams....
Thats a symptom not, a cause/thorn.
yeah i guess you're right