Human Self Development

This page is a list of topics to do with self development. The topics are largely to do with improving common human weaknesses. Self development consists of:

Knowing Yourself
Self-unlimiting and Self-cleansing
Intellectual Development
Physical fitness

The result of this is self empowerment, happiness and success.

1. Accepting Criticism

“I think acceptance of personal criticism is an essential part of self development. I think being able to automatically accept criticism is better than automatically rejecting it.”
"On the Acceptance of Personal Criticism" by Vexen Crabtree (2002)

Confidence, as discussed later, is of no use if you cannot accept criticism. If you become impervious to the insults of others, whether they're nice people or not, then you can become a monster. Of course this isn't a problem if you don't have much confidence in the first place! Accepting criticism can be an essential part of getting to know yourself and your own weaknesses. You can't possibly improve yourself if you don't even know your weaknesses!

2. Knowing Yourself

Without self knowledge self development is folly! Spending time to reflect on what type of person you are, what stereotype you fit most closely, etc, will help you a large amount when you deal with other people. You need to know how other people see you and your own strengths and weaknesses. This essay mainly deals with improving weaknesses. Knowing your own strengths is in some ways less important than knowing your weaknesses.

“The biggest weakness of all is not knowing your weaknesses and leaving them wide open for anyone to abuse at any time. If you value your friends it is advantageous for you to train their skills, too, so that those around you admire you, and those who are not your friends admire you, and those who are your enemies fear you.”
"Satanic power" by Vexen Crabtree (2000)

The rest of Satanic power (2000) examines some possible strengths you may have.

People frequently ignore or neglect their own weaknesses and this makes them more prominent. Reflecting on areas where you know you fail, perhaps writing them down, can give you more conscious awareness of them and help you manipulate situations to facilitate usage of your stronger/healthier points.

There are many differing areas that you need to know yourself. Confidence or intelligence in one area of life does not imply the same in another. For example being good at a martial art does not automatically make you a good fighter. Being good at debating in text is not the same as having the confidence and cool to do it in person. It is worth specifically testing yourself in different circumstances to see how you behave: All of us have funny quirks of character and it's better that we face them and admit them than ignore them and allow them to surface unexpectedly!

3. Confidence and Self-Change - Fake It

“If we want to change ourselves in some important way, it's best not to wait for insight or inspiration. Sometimes we need to act - begin writing that paper, to make those phone calls, to see that person - even if we don't feel like acting. Jacques Barzum (1975) recognized the energizing power of action when he advised aspiring writers to engage in the act of writing even if contemplation had left them feeling uncertain [...]: "If you are too modest about yourself or too plain indifferent about the possible reader and yet are required to write, then you have to pretend. Make believe that you want to bring somebody around to your opinion; in other words, adopt a thesis and start expounding it... with a slight effort of the kind at the start - a challenge to utterance - you will find your pretence disappearing and a real concern creeping in." (pp 173-174).”
"Social Psychology" by David Myers (1999)₁

Eventually I think all people become confident. Confidence without humility is arrogance, though. The naturally confident need to learn to humble themselves and humour themselves.

Those who aren't naturally confident are frequently quite meek. Meekness can be combated with confidence. The main step for those who lack confidence is to fake it. This means you pretend to be confident, or do some things in a confident manner. People learn to be confident in certain situations: Faking confidence means eventually you can snap into a confident mode in order to deal with situations.

Not long after being able to fake confidence you will find that there is no difference between faking it and having it. Once you know and feel the strength that comes from this you will have attained two important characteristics of any above-average person: Confidence and a lack of impractical self-consciousness.

But I note again... without humility this will translate as arrogance. The stronger you present yourself the more careful you need to be to do it in a humane and understanding way.

4. Physical Fitness

The Exercise Bible
Amazon.co.uk

If you are physically unfit you suffer mentally. Your mental health includes a need to be physically fit. As your body becomes bogged down with chemicals and fat your character suffers. As you gain fitness you gain vitality of both body and mind. Unfitness burdens your mind.

Nietzsche, possibly due to his own ill health, had the concept that a superman would be physically superior to those around him. That physical fitness is a precursor to mental fitness. That body and mind are intrinsically linked. I believe (it seems obvious to me) that also our mental state affects the effectiveness of our bodies, and that positive thinking is a physical boost to our bodies. Medically, psychosomatic effects are known to be especially linked to our immune system: a depressed person will become ill more often and be poorer at fighting illness.

This positive thinking and physical fitness are at the heart of most self development courses. Not one decent course will fail to instruct a person on ways to improve their physical fitness as a route to improving their mental alertness and freshness, in short their life. But without positive thinking, a healthy body is a pointless slave, herd mentality turns a fit body into a futility. Mental and physical fitness only work in combination.

The Buddha's Middle Way taught that physical fitness was as essential as mental dexterity and that they depended on each other. In the words of the first century Ashvaghosha:

“When [the body] is worn down and exhausted by hunger and thirst, the mind in its turn must feel the strain, that mental organ which must reap the fruit. No, inward calm is needed for success! Inward calm cannot be maintained unless physical strength is constantly and intelligently replenished. Only if the body is reasonably nourished can undue strain on the mind be avoided.”
"Buddhacarita" by Ashvaghosha.
In "Buddhist Scriptures" by Edward Conze (1959)₂
“Exercise and The Brain
Aerobic exercise can improve cognitive function, perhaps because of the increased oxygen to the brain or a rise in glucose metabolism. [...]
A person who exercises consistently over a period of years will not show the same mental decline as someone who doesn't exercise. In tests of rapid decision making (such as how quickly a person could slam on the brakes if a child jumped in front of his or her car), researchers found that older men who had exercised were better at quick decision making than older men who hadn't. It is known that those who exercise for a long period have healthier hearts, lungs and muscles; now scientists suspect that exercise might also slow the decline in central nervous-system processing as well. Even walking around the block has been shown to be beneficial.
There's now solid evidence than regular aerobic exercise (such as running, biking, or swimming) can ease some more moderate cases of depression by raising the level of certain brain chemicals responsible for mood - some of the same brain chemicals that are affected by antidepressants. Even a brisk midday walk for 10 to 20 minutes can help. To be most effective, a person should exercise regularly at least three times a week (five or more is better) for at least a half-hour each time.”
"The Brain Encyclopedia" by Carol Turkington (1996)

Physical exercise keeps your brain healthier and for longer. Research is showing that physical (and mental) exercise allows the brain to retain its effectiveness longer into old age₃. Physical activity - even beginning in old age after a whole life of sloth, can help rescue the brain from mental decline, stimulating the growth of new neurones in certain parts of the brain.₄

5. Lifestyle: The Basics

“How people live has an important impact on health. Whether people smoke, whether they are physically active; what and how much they eat and drink [effects] how healthy people are and how long they will live.”
Secretary of State for Health₅

If you are bogged down with endless possessions then you need to purge these. The fewer possessions you own the freer your mind is from the worry of looking after them and the less time you spend looking after, organizing and accommodating them. It is liberating to minimize your possessions.

“According to LaVey, the same reasoning leads us to the conclusion that drugs are bad for indulgence in that they cause an imbalance that, in the long term, reduces the pleasures of normal experience.”
From "Satan represents indulgence instead of abstinence!" part of "The Laws, Sins and Rules of Satanism: A Lack of Legalism" by Vexen Crabtree (2002)
“I cannot say that alcohol and drugs are always bad, nor could I say that alcohol users and drug users are bad people. I would be a hypocrite to do so. But, I believe in severe moderation and limitation of the uses of alcohol, partying drugs, pain killers and general medications, psychedelics and complete abstinence from cigarettes! If you act antisocially when drunk, you simply should not drink. Abstinence from these can be indulgent in life, as you become stronger, mentally stronger and capable of socializing without these chemical supports when you go without them. They should be used when required, mostly, and not as a source of gratification, pacification or pleasure.”
"Chemical Support" by Vexen Crabtree (2003)

The above two points are physical, the rest of the essay concentrates on more personal and societal factors of self development. Although much more can be said on physical lifestyle there are people who are more qualified (and inclined) than me to say it!

6. Social Taboos

Many people suffer from social taboos... things that are "simply not talked about", at least not seriously, like masturbation. These things often result in guilt, suppression and unhappiness in a person's life because when there is a lack of communication about something there is nearly always a lack of acceptance.

The worst social taboos are the ones that are subconscious and unchallenged. These control our thoughts and guide us away from thinking about certain topics. This is harmful to us and hinders our full humanity, it suppresses our nature.

When we learn to spot and purposefully tackle social taboos we become more in touch with ourselves and the hidden barriers in our thought and communication become visible barriers... and a visible barrier, even if we still choose not to talk about the topic, is less harmful than a hidden one. Once visible it is under our control. When invisible it can influence our behaviour in surprising or confusing ways.

Social taboos cause misunderstanding. Countries and cultures have different social taboos. When people from different places mix if they do not know their own taboos they will be shocked or offended when others bring the subject up.

When a topics of conversation offends you, you need to ask yourself why. If it is just because its not something you were brought up to discuss then you would do well to think it through and analize whether or not there is a real reason to be offended.

Without Social Taboos:
The less of these hot-spots you have in your life the freer, happier and more natural you will be. You'll do less "random" things during conversation and come across as more accepting and open minded: And not someone prone to taking irrational or random offence during otherwise normal and acceptable conversations. You'll be more stable.

7. Petty Awkwardness

A lot of the time people don't realize the extent to which they make themselves unhappy and impractical people. Skipping the normal disclaimers about stereotypes I think middle/upper class people suffer more from this: A fussiness that becomes awkwardness.

I am talking of things to do with one's diet, tastes and habits. For example there are some foods that I do not like. I have two options in life:

Avoid these foods
Eat them anyway

The same basic option can be applied to many minor distastes and choices in life. Of these the former becomes impractical for friends and yourself. There are some people who seem to revel in their own fussiness, never ceasing to point out that they don't like this or that and it makes such people impractical. On a bad day it makes people plain annoying. People grow out of the avoidance mentality during hard times or times of self improvement and move on to make the second choice: Go ahead with your life.

The second choice is a self perpetuating cycle of happiness. Once you get over the fact that 'you don't like it' it becomes 'not bad'. You then find that you are freer in life to do as you please: Your dislikes no longer inhibit your behaviour. Although such things can be minor points they can stimulate a very positive attitude in life: An embracing of life rather than an abstinence.

8. Stupidity

Link: "Stupidity" by Vexen Crabtree

The single greatest friend of all the above weaknesses and shortcomings in people is emotional or intellectual stupidity or intellectual laziness.

"Friends of stupidity [...] are:
Thoughtless herd conformity
Unquestioned dogma
Counterproductive pride
Lack of doubt
"
"Stupidity is the Cardinal Sin of Satanism" by Vexen Crabtree (2002)

Without a radical and persistent anti-stupidity checks on your life you will slowly decay away into a piece of pointless Human garbage.

9. Physical Pain Management

9.1. Acupuncture

“At least 26 studies of acupuncture have shown that it has no significant effect. But, three large studies have found that acpuncture does reduce the incidence of headaches and migraines. But two of those have shown that sticking pins in randomly is as effective as using traditional Chinese methods. What is known now is what has been suspected by practioners for a long time: that the traditional talk of "energy channels", "meridians" and "acupuncture points" are not true and are defunct explanations of how acupuncture works. Instances of punctured lungs, increased pain, internal bleeding and other side-affects occur in up to 1 in 5 cases especially if a practitioner is not a medically trained doctor. It works for pain relief for medically known reasons, but the traditional mumbo-jumbo associated with traditional acupuncture is best ignored.”
"Critical Thinking on Acupuncture: How Does it Work?" by Vexen Crabtree (2005)

9.2. Mental Self-Help

Acupuncture and other methods of pain relief can sometimes work but the most effective, self-reliant and hopeful method is to learn to control pain mentally. Much research has found that your mental states effect your experience of pain. Scientists at Stanford University trained volunteers to control pain using mental exercises, and published their positive results in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. "Dr Sean Mackey, who led the research, said the study findings offered great hope for people who suffer chronic pain. [...] Dr Beverley Collett, president of the British Pain Society, said: "In some ways, this supports some of what we are already doing in pain treatment, using cognitive therapy to change how people think about their pain"₆.

The UK results are similar to the conclusions of Wake Forest University in the USA, who say that positive thinking is as powerful as a shot of morpine. Their results were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

“Dr Coghill explained: "Pain is not solely the result of signals coming from an injured body region. Pain needs to be treated with more than just pills. The brain can powerfully shape pain, and we need to exploit its power." He said the findings underscored the potential of cognitive therapy for the treatment of pain.
Dr Ed Keogh, a psychologist and pain researcher from the University of Bath, said: "For some time now we have known that psychological factors such as expectations play a role in the perception and experience of pain.
Dr Beverly Collette, president of the British Pain Society, said: "Most people who work in pain clinics use cognitive therapy to help people manage their pain better. ”
BBC News (2005)₇

9.3. Relaxation

The psychologists London and Engstrom in an 1982 article in American Health point out a popular procedure for pain management when they highlight the role of mental relaxation. By imagining yourself in a warm pool listening to music whenever you feel pain you can condition your body to disassociate the pain from your emotions (as you would do during hypnosis, too)₈.

All the above research confirms one well-known fact of psychology: That depressed, stressed and unhappy people feel pain more acutely and more frequently.

10. Conclusion: Question Everything

Something most of the above points have in common is that they nearly all start of with self-questioning, self-questing and self-doubting. Development relies on these qualities. Stubbornness limits them. You cannot be stubborn if you are in the habit of questioning everything, including yourself and your own motives.

Your own actions, assumptions and character traits should be examined all the time. You should always be on the lookout for strange or illogical character traits and then challenge them. To be happy you need to embrace doubt, accept life as it is and accept yourself and face your weaknesses.

No-one has a right to be happy, it is up to yourself to make it happen.