What is self-esteem and why it is needed?

Hi forum,

What is self-esteem to you?

Is it your success and achievements?

If so why do you need one (self-esteem)?


Personal answer:

Looking around I can see that this is clearly not the goal (of life). To gain self-esteem we should first know the purpose of life, which we don't.

Need of self-esteem only creates fear and false pride (because honestly you know that millions cannot do the same things you want to do, I mean considering all the poverty world-wide what is self-esteem?)..

I look at those who are successful and I am proud of them... I feel only peace with them.

3d

I hold mine in the catorgoy of emotion, And what ive learned is that different emotions hold power of some sort. Fear for instance can dive you to run faster, or warn you of danger, and some bad things depending on how you use it. But if i breack it down, No emotion or thought is me. Im just something that uses the enviroment around me, Perhaps until I can live on my own. It makes me wonder thou, Have u ever noticed a choice just before something happens, like you trip, and A small voice or thought decideds whether you wanna fall or somehow save yourself like it had the power reguardless of the situation?

Originally Posted by Cerium

I hold mine in the catorgoy of emotion, And what ive learned is that different emotions hold power of some sort. Fear for instance can dive you to run faster, or warn you of danger, and some bad things depending on how you use it. But if i breack it down, No emotion or thought is me. Im just something that uses the enviroment around me, Perhaps until I can live on my own. It makes me wonder thou, Have u ever noticed a choice just before something happens, like you trip, and A small voice or thought decideds whether you wanna fall or somehow save yourself like it had the power reguardless of the situation?

Hi Cerium, sorry my english is not very good and it looks to me like you responded to the other thread ? (about "watching the body") if so please copy/paste I will respond there..

3d

ok will do.

[NightSpirit]

Originally Posted by 3dnow

Hi forum,

What is self-esteem to you?

Is it your success and achievements?

If so why do you need one (self-esteem)?


Personal answer:

Looking around I can see that this is clearly not the goal (of life). To gain self-esteem we should first know the purpose of life, which we don't.

Need of self-esteem only creates fear and false pride (because honestly you know that millions cannot do the same things you want to do, I mean considering all the poverty world-wide what is self-esteem?)..

I look at those who are successful and I am proud of them... I feel only peace with them.

3d

To me self esteem is not something you need but something that everyone should naturally have. Its all about how you feel about yourself. If you feel confident and happy then you carry a high self esteem and this supports your efforts through life.

self esteem is
respecting yourself
honoring yourself
loving yourself
WITHOUT EGO

people without self esteem allow themselves to be victimized, taken advantage of, abused....

knowing the purpose/goals of life is thus irrelevant

[Jyotir]

Hi 3dnow,

Self-esteem is the icing on the ego's cake.

Esteem = high regard
It means having high regard for oneself.

This usually represents a consolidation and 'high functioning' of ego often dependent on various superficial 'outer', 'personality' or material accomplishments, temporary personal 'victories' (eg personality ambition), transitory worldly successes - prior to a shift in which people begin to aspire spiritually (focus more consciously on internal progress) and transform the ignorant separative ego into a willing illumined instrument of the soul.

Psychology generally proposes as a goal that we 'feel good' about 'ourselves' and this is an important step in a personal evolution, but beyond that, the requirements of yoga/spiritual work are that the individual self, after consolidation - is then transformed from within.

Self-esteem in that case needs to be superseded/sublimated/transformed etc. into something more authentic, not based on separative conditional personality alone. It is even quite common in spiritual work that the various associations of success which were important in the consolidation of the ego, subsequently become impediments to further progress - not necessarily material ones, but simply as 'psychic' attachments to any 'objects' within the being associated with self-esteem which is conditional on them and must be released.

It is in the increasing transformation of the 'lower instrumental being' and its unification with higher principles within, that 'self-esteem' is gradually displaced by an integral (not separative) poise and 'equality' (in the yogic sense) which is more consciously soul-based, an increasing awareness of the higher ranges of the individual being in a dynamic functional oneness which becomes a true self-confidence.

~ J

Originally Posted by 3dnow

Hi forum,

What is self-esteem to you?

Is it your success and achievements?

If so why do you need one (self-esteem)?


Personal answer:

Looking around I can see that this is clearly not the goal (of life). To gain self-esteem we should first know the purpose of life, which we don't.

Need of self-esteem only creates fear and false pride (because honestly you know that millions cannot do the same things you want to do, I mean considering all the poverty world-wide what is self-esteem?)..

I look at those who are successful and I am proud of them... I feel only peace with them.

3d

I think we need to realize ourselves first before anything.

Originally Posted by 3dnow

What is self-esteem to you?

Self-esteem is the experience of being competent to cope with the basic challenges of life and of being worthy of happiness. It consists of two components: 1) self-efficacy—confidence in our ability to think, learn, choose, and make appropriate decisions; and 2) self-respect—confidence in our right to be happy; and in the belief that achievement, success, friendship, respect, love and fulfillment are appropriate to us.

-- Nathaniel Branden, author of the Six Pillars of Self-Esteem

Is it your success and achievements?

No, it is the "reputation" you have earned with yourself (as seen and felt by yourself), but your success and achievements could boost that reputation.

If so why do you need one (self-esteem)?

Self-esteem is one of the major values in my spiritual path. It is needed for personal efficacy, serenity, and happiness.

Looking around I can see that this is clearly not the goal (of life). To gain self-esteem we should first know the purpose of life, which we don't.

The purpose of life is to flourish and find happiness. So, yes, self-esteem is one of the goals of life.

Need of self-esteem only creates fear and false pride (because honestly you know that millions cannot do the same things you want to do, I mean considering all the poverty world-wide what is self-esteem?)..

So what if others can't do the same things? That doesn't mean that one doesn't accomplish what one accomplishes, or that one can't deal with the challenges of life when one has that ability. It only means that some people don't have the resources that they need.

Self-esteem is at root a kind of confidence in oneself and one's abilities. It isn't about "false pride", and it certainly isn't something fear-based. That wouldn't be self-esteem at all in my view.


eudaimonia,

Mark