The Weakness in My Strength

Hello again, 

If you are just tuning in. Welcome! ...And things are about to get deep, just warning you now.

For those who have read my blog before, this entry is going to be a bit more psychological rather than 'here's what I did today'. So let's begin.....

Something that people may not know about me is that I am very passionate about knowledge and intellect. I see this as both my greatest strength and greatest weakness.

STRENGTH:

"ipsa scientia potestas est" ("Knowledge itself is Power") -Francis Bacon

I believe there is great value in continued learning. As children we learn everything from reading and writing, to expressing thoughts and emotions and how to interact with others. And society would have us believe that we stop learning, in the majority, when we finish school and become adults. My opinion however is that when one stops having a desire to learn, that is when one's soul begins to die.
Without the constant thirst for knowledge, human beings can't evolve as a species.

Those with the desire to learn and achieve more have the capacity to not only grow individually, but they have the potential to advance society. Without people who are curious enough to want more out of life, we might not have inventions such as the light bulb, the telephone, or the first aircraft. Without the desire to learn and grow, these wonderful advancements in technology might cease to exist because people were satisfied with the status quo.

And even if you don't plan on being a great inventor of 'the next big thing', there is always room to grow individually. You can always learn something today that you did not know yesterday. There's a power behind the saying 'You learn something new every day'. I am constantly seeking information and trying to improve myself in some way or another, be it picking up random facts, attempting to learn a new language, reading up on a lesser known subject, or taking up a new skill/hobby.


WEAKNESS:

"Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall." -Proverbs 16:18

My pride in knowledge is the thing that gets me into trouble...a lot. As much as I am open to learning more, when I know something I am almost boastfully pride at the fact. I also will not be challenged and stand my ground when I know with 100% certainty (and sometimes with only 70% certainty) that I am right.

I'm also hyper sensitive when it comes to people misunderstanding/misinterpreting what I've said. I make it my personal mission to get my thoughts to a place where others can understand them. (Side note: In this way I have become a good mediator between sides to get someone to understand another's point of view, which would fall under the STRENGTH category above.)

I get deeply upset when I am perceived as anything similar to stupid, incoherent, dumb, or ill-advised. It really, REALLY does get me worked up and in a day and age where social media and typos happen, where people skim and just get the jist of something it is VERY easy to be misunderstood. So I find a lot of the time I get worked up, and insist on pleading my case and sounding like a broken record in the process because I cannot be seen as unintelligent or incomprehensible.


Pride in my own intelligence is by far my worst sin.
But you know I am human, so there is Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Envy, Lust and Wrath there too.


The thing I try to remember is that there is a way to change....if we want to change and not stay stagnant.  Every day I try to use the knowledge I have and the information I obtain to learn to be a better human and change my vices.

Too much pride? - take the time to be humble and grateful for all that you have.
Enough lazing around eating sweets and watching netflix? - stop being a sloth/glutton and start being productive! Make something new! Learn a new skill! Or just do something different for a change.
Want something you don't have? - Work towards achieving it yourself.
Lusty urges? - Keep it in your pants hun.
Anger Management? - Yoga and meditation my friend.

And everyone has their different processes with dealing with life; those are just mine.