“If I try self-consciously to become a person, I will never be one. The most real people, those who are able to forget their selfish selves, who have true compassion, are usually the most distinct individuals. But that comes second. Personhood comes first, and our civilization tempts, if not teaches, us to reverse the process…
The people that I know who are most concerned about their individuality, who probe constantly into motives, who are always turned inwards towards their own reactions, usually become less and less individual, less and less spontaneous, more and more afraid of the consequences of giving themselves away.
…I haven’t defined a self, nor do I want to. A self is not something static, tied up in a pretty parcel and handed to [us], finished and complete. A self is always becoming.”
-Madeleine L’Engle in A Circle of Quiet
I stumbled upon a blog that quotes this excerpt from a book I hope to read soon. This is a good reminder to be gentle with myself, to acknowledge that the journey of selfhood is one to be only reflected on gently and held loosely. The self must be analyzed and dissected but very carefully so as not to lose any part of it in the process. Self is most fully experienced in fully living.
