Self Awareness and The Beatles' Song

Last night, I had the conversation with several friends of mine. We talked many things, but there was a topic that capture my concern most. It was about self awareness. The talk brought me fly to several years ago when I participated to a training: SIAWARE - Self Insight Awareness.

The training was beneficial. I gained friends, stories, and experiences. And the most important is to know about self awareness itself. Here, in the UK, I just realize that self awareness is an issue that apply for most of people. Globally. It does not relate to the ages, origins, faith, etc.

Once, I watched an ad about the government encouraging youngsters in the UK to pursue their life. The ad underlined that many of young people felt that themselves like garbage and had no idea where they headed to. Another time, I walked with a friend of mine from another country. He was about to finish his PhD, but when I asked what he wanted to do after the study he answered that he did not know. He did not know what he wanted to be.

The situation like that is depicted perfectly by a song of the Beatles, Nowhere Man. The first part of the song resembles how the struggled of someone with his life.

He's a real nowhere man
Sitting in his nowhere land
Making all his nowhere plans for nobody

Doesn't have a point of view
Knows not where he's going to
Isn't he a bit like you and me?

In my opinion, that state is related to the lack of self awareness. Often, when someone being in the state, it is somehow created by himself. He is being ignorant of his surrounding, keep tightly what he believes without opening up to different perspectives. Unfortunately, this choice of action --being stubborn-- eventually will obscures his true self. This is described in the next part of the song.

Nowhere Man, please listen
You don't know what you're missing
Nowhere Man, the world is at your command

He's as blind as he can be
Just sees what he wants to see
Nowhere Man can you see me at all?

However, the situation is not something that cannot be overcame. Being optimistic, willingness to open up and also willingness to accept or asking help from others are the keys to change. Concerning of accepting or asking help, it does not make someone being weak. Instead, it is a sign of strength. Accepting our own weaknesses is one of the hardest things that people can do, isn't it?

And now let sing the latter part of the song...

Nowhere Man, don't worry
Take your time, don't hurry
Leave it all till somebody else lends you a hand