The Examined Life

 "The unexamined life is not worth living".

- Socrates

In the rush of your day, do you ever pause to wonder why you do the things you do? Do you even have the time to stop and consider your own foundations?

The ancient philosopher Socrates believed that a life lived without inquiry was not one truly lived. In our relentlessly busy world, this thought is more relevant than ever.  This isn't about judgment, but an invitation to self-discovery by asking yourself fundamental questions. 

Consider questions about your values and beliefs, such as:

• What are the core principles that guide my decisions?
• Where did those beliefs come from? Have I chosen them?

Then, questions about your goals and aspirations:

• What am I striving for? Why is this important to me?
• Is this goal intrinsically motivated or driven by external, societal pressures?

As you may imagine, these questions are inherently difficult. However, like philosophy itself, the goal isn't to find definite answers. There is no index to compare these answers against. The discovery in these questions lies not in their answers, but in considering the answers at all. The value and the wisdom lies in the act of asking and engaging with your responses. 

So, take some time today to ponder these questions in regard to your life. You can do this in a couple of ways. I personally favor writing out my thoughts by hand in a journal. If you have no pen and paper, a moment of quiet reflection and contemplation will suffice. Or, recording yourself speak (if you can stand the sound of your voice) and listening back to it later. 

From a psychological standpoint, the examined life encourages self-awareness and metacognition. Self-awareness refers to the ability to monitor our own thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Metacognition is thinking about thinking, questioning our assumptions and the processes by which we arrive at our beliefs. 

The unexamined life is not comfortable, but it is much richer and more authentic to who it matters most: yourself.