HEAVEN AND HELL
KNOW THYSELF
A BELLIGERENT SAMURAI, AND OLD JAPANESE TALE GOES, ONCE CHALLENGED A ZEN MASTER TO EXPLAIN THE CONCEPT OF HEAVEN AND HELL. BUT THE MONK REPLIED WITH SCORN, "YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A LOUT - I CAN'T WASTE MY TIME WITH THE LIKES OF YOU".
HIS VERY HONOR ATTACKED, THE SAMURAI FLEW INTO A RAGE, AND PULLING HIS SWORD FROM ITS SCABBARD, YELLED, "I COULD KILL YOU FOR YOUR IMPERTINENCE".
THAT'S THE MONK CALMLY REPLIED, IS HELL".
STARTLED AT SEEING THE TRUTH IN WHAT THE MASTER POINTED OUT ABOUT THE FURY THAT HAD HIM IN ITS GRIP, THE SAMURAI CALMED DOWN, SHEATHED HIS SWORD, AND BOWED, THANKING THE MONK FOR THE INSIGHT.
AND THAT, SAID THE MONK, IS HEAVEN.
THE SUDDEN AWAKENING OF THE SAMURAI TO HIS OWN AGITATED STATE ILLUSTRATES THE CRUCIAL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BEING CAUGHT IN A FEELING AND BECOMING AWARE THAT YOU ARE BEING SWEPT AWAY BY IT. SOCRATES' INUNCTION "KNOW THYSELF" SPEAKS TO THIS KEYSTONE OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE, AWARENESS OF ONE'S OWN FEELINGS AS THEY OCCUR.
IT MIGHT SEEM AT FIRST GLANCE THAT OUR FEELINGS ARE OBVIOUS, MORE THOUGHTFUL REFLECTION REMINDS US OF TIMES WE HAVE BEEN ALL TOO OBVIOUS TO WHAT WE REALLY FELT ABOUT SOMETHING, OR AWOKE TO THESE FEELINGS LATE IN THE GAME. PSYCHOLOGISTS USE THE RATHER PONDEROUS TERM METACOGNITION TO REFER TO AN AWARENESS OF THOUGHT PROCESS, AND METAMOOD TO MEAN AWARENESS OF ONE'S OWN EMOTIONS. I PREFER THE TERM SELF-AWARENESS IN THE SENSE OF AN ONGOING ATTENTION TO ONE'S INTERNAL STATES. IN THIS SELF-REFLEXIVE AWARENESS MIND OBSERVES AND INVESTIGATES EXPERIENCE ITSELF, INCLUDING THE EMOTIONS.
THIS QUALITY OF AWARENESS IS AKIN TO WHAT FREUD DESCRIBED AS AN "EVENLY HOVERING ATTENTION" AND WHICH HE COMMENDED TO THOSE WHO WOULD DO PSYCHONALYSIS, SUCH ATTENTION TAKES IN WHATEVER PASSESS THROUGH AWARENESS WITH IMPARTIALITY, AS AN INTERESTED YET UNREACTIVE WITNESS. SOME PSYCHOANALYSTS CALL IT THE "OBSERVING EGO", THE CAPACITY OF SELF-AWARENESS THAT ALLOWS THE ANALYST TO MONITOR HIS OWN REACTIONS TO WHAT THE PATIENT IS SAYING, AND WHICH THE PROCESS OF FREE ASSOCIATION NUTURES IN THE PATIENT.
