Human Mind, Nigerian Youth and Why Self-awareness Matters
By Arita Oluoma Alih,
A book titled “The Prayer of the Frog” authored by Anthony de Mello explores human nature. An excerpt from the literature states, “Human beings react, not to reality, but to ideas in their heads.” The writer illustrates this concept with a metaphorical story about a pestilence traveling rapidly to a particular city.
The pestilence met someone on the way who asked why he was speeding. He replied, “I am going to kill 1,000 lives.” On his way home, he met the same person, who said, “You killed 50,000 lives, not 1,000.” He replied, “I killed 1,000 lives; the rest died of fear.”
This phenomenon expounds how the human mind works. The additional 49,000 died solely due to fear and the thought of being killed, demonstrating the powerful impact of perception on reality. The human mind can be both potent and perilous, as people’s thoughts and fears can shape their experiences and outcomes.
As simple as the words ‘self-awareness’ may sound, it holds significance. Just like people will say some statement do not hold water, these ones hold a lot. Many folks do not really understand what it means to be self-aware.
Self-awareness shields you from manipulation in today’s complex world. It keeps you alive and conscious, helps maintain spiritual balance, gives you a sense of identity, and enables you to reflect on your personality, allowing you to stand firm in the face of adversity.
While I was reflecting on my personality, including my purpose and fears about not achieving certain things before reaching a certain age and how it may affect my mental health, self-awareness of these concerns led me plan countermeasures if I don’t achieve them as envisioned.
Before proceeding, self-awareness needs to be understood: what is the self, what is awareness, and what does the compound term self-awareness entail? The self refers to a person’s entirety, encompassing their sense of identity, being, character traits, and individuality, what distinguishes them from others. Awareness, on the other hand, is an individual’s capacity for reasoning and knowledge about things, including how to navigate potentially distressing situations; it’s essentially consciousness of mind. Self-awareness, therefore, is the development of a conscious mind that observes, perceives thoughts, and reflects on its own personality.
I am an advocate of self-awareness owing to the fact that it help shape lives. It enables one stand firm on their goodwill. It helps in self-discovery and ultimately prevents being manipulated into doing something against one’s conscienceness and purpose.
Although an important life-tool, many youth do not understand self-awareness and the significance of being self-aware. In a society that immorality is becoming a norm, do youths know how not to allow themselves to be convinced that such acts and other social vices are not a norm in a society that craves growth?
To thrive, these questions we must answer as youth in a Nigeria with over 200 million people, where the national grid is always collapsing, where ASUU is always on strike over wages, where farmers-herders-clash is unending, and where politicians are always toilling masses’ intelligence.
In all these, self-awareness comes into play through self-interrogation. For example, will I allow myself to be used as a thug for politicians because of some basic necessities? Your answers and actions reflect your level of consciousness. When ASUU is on strike, you ask yourself, “What do I do with my time?” and so on.
The power of observation, a component of self-awareness, is often underrated. Pay attention to your surroundings and the people you interact with. Notice their level of self-awareness, openness to learning, and mindset. Surround yourself with positivity, as those lacking these traits often spread negativity which is not good for either growth or development.
This also takes us back to a story from Anthony de Mello’s “The Prayer of the Frog” where Viennese surgeon taught his students that a surgeon needs two gifts: freedom from nausea and the power of observation. He demonstrated this by dipping one finger into a foul-smelling fluid and licking another, testing his students’ observation skills. While they passed the first test by showing no nausea, they failed the second by not noticing the surgeon’s trick. This underscores the veracity of observation.
Thus, navigating the murky waters of life, especially for Nigeria’s youthful population, requires one to train their minds and be self-aware because self-awareness begets self-consciousness and self-observation!
Arita Oluoma Alih writes from Abuja and can be reached on: [email protected]
