And I think it’s because we weren’t taught in our foundational years what it means to “know self”. Unless you come from a family who believes in the philosophy of “knowing self” or have some random luck, and come across it someway, the discussion of “knowing self” supplants with discussions about the future, such as “What will you be when you grow up? In school, they teach us what they think are critical skills, and rarely do they touch on the topic of “Who are you?”.

However, one can also argue that we are lucky to be able to even talk about “knowing self”. Looking at Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, physiological needs and safety are first and foremost, before we can even have the privilege to even touch self-actualization.

We’re in a good place.