YOU CAN'T "BE" YOURSELF IF YOU DON'T "KNOW" YOURSELF. AND WHAT IS IT TO KNOW YOURSELF? IT IS TO BE SURE THAT THE THOUGHTS YOU ENTERTAIN, THE WORDS YOU SPEAK AND THE ACTIONS YOU PUT FORTH ALL STEM FROM AN INDIVIDUAL DECISION AND ARE IN NO WAY MANUFACTURED BY MASS MEDIA OR POPULAR OPINION. AND HOW WILL YOU KNOW YOUR "SELF" IF YOU DON'T KNOW THE VOICE OF YOUR "SELF"? AND HOW WILL YOU RECOGNIZE THE VOICE OF YOUR "SELF" WITH SO MANY OTHER VOICES IN YOUR HEAD? FROM "REALITY" TELEVISION TO SCROLLING TIRELESSLY, REDUNDANTLY, REPETITIVELY, ON SOCIAL SITES, YOUR MIND IS BEING INUNDATED WITH A FLUX OF OPINIONS, EMOTIONS, SECRETS AND THOUGHTS...ALL OF WHICH HAVE LITTLE TO NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU. HOW CAN YOU KNOW YOUR "SELF" WITH SO MANY OTHER "SELFS" TAKING UP SPACE IN YOUR HEART AND MIND? YOU'VE BECOME MORE INFATUATED WITH THE LIVES OF STARS THAN YOUR OWN. YOU KNOW THE NAME OF THEIR CHILDREN, AND THEIR PETS, AND EVERY ONE THEY'VE DATED. THIS IS A BARRIER BETWEEN YOU AND THE SELF. SEE THE SELF IS MULTI-DIMENSIONAL; SPIRITUAL AS WELL AS PHYSICAL; TANGIBLE AND INTANGIBLE. THE SOURCE OF THE SELF ENLIVENS IN SILENCE. IT SUSTAINS BUT ITS PILLARS ARE NEVER SEEN. THE SELF HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH AN OVER-INDULGENCE IN THE PHYSICAL ASPECT OF ITS MAKEUP AS IT REALIZES THIS PHYSICALITY IS ONLY FIFTY PERCENT OF THE EQUATION. THE EGO SIDE OF THE SELF IS WHAT LEADS THE WHOLE SELF AWAY FROM TRUTH AND KNOWLEDGE OF ITS SELF TO FORGETFULNESS BY MEANS TOO VOLUMINOUS TO TRANSCRIBE AT THIS JUNCTURE. ALWAYS IN SEARCH OF GUIDANCE MAN THEN FOLLOWS MAN INSTEAD OF THE LAWS OF NATURE STIPULATED BY THE SOURCE OF NATURE AND THIS CULMINATES IN IGNORANCE. AN IGNORANT PERSON CANNOT BE THEM SELF BECAUSE THEY DON'T KNOW THEIR "SELF."