Can you understand others without understanding yourself?

Question

Peace and Love

Answer 1

Sometimes it is easier to understand someone else that yourself, I question myself, but readily form a quick opinion about others.


God Bless You

Answer 2

I don't think I will ever truly understand others - people are just too complex. But, I can understand some things that are motivating factors.

I will never understand why anyone would want to hurt another person - especially someone who cannot defend themselves (like a child).

I will never understand why anyone would blow up innocent people. (How do you get to the point where you think God wants you to strap a bomb on your body and blow up children?)

I will never understand why people hate others just because they are different. Differences are the spice of life. It would be so boring if everyone looked exactly alike and did all the same things.

No, I don't think even understanding myself, could I understand what motivates others.

Answer 3

No, you cannot. The first thing about understanding is that you find something in the other person's story or situation, something that you have experienced yourself, or that you knew yourself...
If you didn't understand yourself, you will never understand others.

Answer 4

Excellent question! It reminds me of the old homely, "I could not love thee half as much if I did not love myself more."

Our challenge as adult human beings is to do what Socrates cautioned. "The unexamined life is not worth living."

If you do not face your own personal demons, past and present, and effectively deal with them, all you are capable of doing is behaving in a reactionary fashion. Everything that happens to you, that takes place in your life, will illicit a classic "knee jerk" reaction. You end up doing things for reasons that you do not understand and end up becoming one of those people who bemoans, "Everything happens to me!"

It's only when we begin to question the "why" behind our actions and reactions that true growth and understanding can develop. From there, from our own personal understanding and healing, we can view the world and the people in it from a place of compassion and inclusiveness.

Only when the journey begins from within, can the benefit be felt without. Your beautiful gift - as a result of your own hard work - a gift of understanding and personal forgiveness, can then be shared with the world around you.

Answer 5

Perhaps not but if one could let another love them, then the chance for undertstanding would become greater. Opening ones self to another and letting them in totally because of trust and love is the ultimate fulfillment of mankind and is blessed by a higher power.........

Answer 6

You find out more about yourself by observing others.

I see a parent spanking a child in a grocery store. I think, "I would never do that to my child".

I see a man and a woman in love and walking along the beach and I think, "I want to have that experience too".

Answer 7

u can understand other, understand urself is not good. but the TOP understanding is who? Jehovah God. - Proverb 3:5

Answer 8

Yes. It's easier to understand others. But what's your point?

Answer 9

One can never truly know one's self. To this day I still do things that I don't expect. Mankind is rather unpredictable.

Answer 10

yes, to understand others is to observe their actions and daily life, in which to do that, you will have to go into a "passive" mode of motion sorta speak and watch and try to comprehend why they do what they do.