hmichellerose on Nostr: This might sound a bit like an appeal to authority, but I don’t think it is. I ...

This might sound a bit like an appeal to authority, but I don’t think it is. I think it’s good evidence that when you really dig into it, no matter where in the world you are and what moment in history you’re in, the answer is clear, "fulfillment", "wholeness", “happiness”, “self-esteem”, etc can only come from your relationship with yourself, it can never come from being “above” or “dominant” over others or from material possessions.

You can look at nearly all religious practices, Eastern, Western, or other, you can look at philosophy, you can look at psychology and it will all point you to this answer. To sum this up here is one of my favorite quotes from an accomplished Psychologist...

"Genuine self-esteem is not competitive or comparative. Neither is genuine self-esteem expressed by self-glorification at the expense of others, or by the quest to make oneself superior to all others or to diminish others so as to elevate oneself" - Nathaniel Branden, Honoring the Self