A spiritual understanding of the self is equally as important as a physical, social, or emotional understanding, but it is perhaps the aspect of our self-knowledge which is most often misrepresented. Over the centuries and millennia...
Life has a habit of moving fast. No matter how old you are, no matter what you have experienced or accomplished, there will have been a time at which you cast your mind back to recollect a moment from the past, and were shocked by just how long ago that moment was even though it seemed like yesterday.
Let's consider communication and connection in the current landscape, taking into account both the modern experience of online communication and the more traditional one of face to face physical contact. Both are valid and relevant in today's world, and both need to be carefully considered if we are to promote a genuine understanding of ourselves and our positions in society.
There are few modern lives, particularly among the younger generations, which have not been touched by social media. Relationships begin or are nurtured on Facebook. Life milestones are accompanied by a slew of Instagram posts. Debates and conversations - both friendly and acrimonious - are more likely to be conducted on Twitter than face-to-face.
As we get older, this should become clearer, but for teenagers, the disconnect between reality and perception can be enormous. Too many adults put this down to teenage apathy and narcissism, but this is doing our young people an enormous disservice. A Mission Australia survey in 2015 found that