Bragging
It seems to me that not many people like a braggart. When someone tells us how much money they make, or how cool they are, or good looking they are, it can be a turnoff. Right now, we are watching a lot of bragging going on in Washington. I began to think why do we brag? It feels like when we have to tell everyone how good we are, we probably are not. Behind all the self boasting, lies a small wounded child that somehow feels they are not good enough. And the louder we brag, is probably equal measure, to how little regard we have for ourselves.
When we are emotionally and mentally healthy, we feel good about ourselves. It is vital to have high self regard, if we are to live a happy and successful life. There have been times in my life when I have shared somethings about myself with others that don’t quite feel good! Later, I cringe when I recall what I said and wish I hadn’t been so candid about my accomplishments or whatever I shared. I think we can brag all we want to ourselves. It appears that we are often our worst critic and judge. However, it is so important to balance our self criticism with our self approval. I believe it is healthy to know the truth about ourselves. When we hold our selves in love and caring even through our flaws, we are powerful, capable humans beings.
The other side of this kind of behavior is self effacement. When we are humble and self deprecating we are often more attractive. It feels like when we are being humble, we are saying we are like everyone else. It feels more inclusive. When we brag, we are saying we are better than others and that feels exclusive. All of this is the realm of our egos. At our core, we are all the equal, limitless, talented, creative children of the Universe. The words to a inspirational song come to me now: In Oneness we declare, the vision that we share, seeing with clarity, our true equality, living in harmony, love and support for each other!
From my humble heart to yours, Thomas