To Thine Own Self

I recently read a quote miss-attributed to Kurt Cobain that originally came from André Gide, a French author and winner of the Nobel Prize in literature in 1947. The quote is “It is better to be hated for who I am than loved for who I am not.”

This idea seems to go hand-in-hand with the quote that appears on the silver chips given out in some meetings - “To thine own self be true.” I am not sure about Kurt Cobain’s connection with the first quote, but there is a significance to it in my book - Kurt’s journey ended in a drug overdose. 

I am on a journey to discover the true nature of who I am. I need to uncover and make peace with my virtues as well as my shortcomings regardless of how they are judged by my fellows. Only then will I be able to live comfortably in my own skin. I am hoping that as I draw closer to this goal, I will find it easier to love others. I want to become more honest and giving. I want to tear down the barriers I have built up between myself and others, between myself and the joy of living and between myself and a higher power.

I don’t have to understand why it is so important that I find the truth about myself, make peace with it and make spiritual progress. The stories of others that have gone before me assure me it is so.

I have made a mere beginning. I would still rather be loved for who I am not, than hated for who I am.

Hold that thought...

James