In most parts of the world, there's been an emphasis on increasing literacy. Being advocates of education, most school administrators and educators are aligned with this objective, putting in tons of effort in encouraging students to read books to increase their understanding of the world around them. In some countries where specific industry expertise is required, there might also be attempts to direct educational institutions to tailor their educational syllabus and courses to cater to the demands of the workplace. All these endeavours are fine, save for one fact: when it comes to living one's life, individuals seem to be told where to go (which reflects the current situation) instead of deciding for themselves where to go (which is a practice of self reflection).
Now, consider two groups of individuals A and B who have made a different choice when it comes to their lifestyle based on the above. I am quite sure that both groups will end up leading very different lives. Now, let's examine the lifestyle of each group.
For the individuals in group A who choose to live a life mapped out by others, it's highly likely that they will spend an entire lifetime living to others' expectations and not their own. From birth, they are encouraged to read books written by others based on the authors' interpretation of life. Born with a clean slate with no biasness and prejudice of life, these groups of individuals are gradually influenced by the mindset of others. (I am not saying that reading should be discouraged but rather, it should be accompanied by in-depth self reflection, which this group of individuals often do not do so. Merely reading only increases the information that they retain. Only through self reflection does the information that they have gathered translate into knowledge and wisdom). When these group of individuals go to school, they are taught subjects that are confined to a field of study with a set of syllabus which again directs their learning in ways not of their own choosing (However, I am glad that things are changing for the better in the education landscape in recent years, what with the encouragement of students to think creatively). When this group of individuals switch on the TV, radio or go online, they are bombarded by media text and images that tell them what to wear, which places to dine, which cosmetics to use, what programmes to watch, what ideal figure to have, which celebrities to watch out for, what books to read, what music to listen to and so much more. Basically, their entire lives are lived according to the expectations of others, and not themselves. Consumerism might be the primary factor leading to this but the fact is, all of us have a choice. This brings us to the group of individuals in group B, the group that knows that they have a choice, a choice that we can all exercise.
Now group B lives in the same, exact environment as group A. They have similar living conditions as both groups face the same situation. However, there's one thing that sets group B apart from group A, which is the fact the Group B often takes a step back, think about what's offered to them, before coming to a decision. They live their lives through contemplation, otherwise known as self reflection. They practise them during every moment of their lives, and in different ways. Some of them write personal journals to self reflect, some of them go through a similar process of self reflecting in their minds and some of them relate all their decision-making processes to their life experiences and prior knowledge. Of course, there are those who go through two or more of the above mentioned self reflective processes but the fact remains: they self reflect.
And that makes all the difference.
Our lives are now in our hands. We are the ones who choose how to lead our lives. We are the ones who select what items are worth purchasing. And we are the ones who determine what information to shut out (This is definitely a critical skill to have since we are currently living in a world where information is being produced at such a rapid rate and yet we are still strongly encouraged to gather more information. Information overload is no longer a mere term found in a dictionary. It's almost a hindrance to societal progression now).
Considering that information is so easily available while our time is getting more limited in contemporary times, we need to select relevant information that pertains to our lives in order to improve the quality of our lives.
And self reflection is our tool to do so.