An Unexamined Life is Not Worth Living

Master Taisen Deshimaru said:

“To think is to choose to observe and comprehend,
even if one is disturbed by oneself or others.
Ultimately, to think means to understand,
to understand primordial matter,
the first thing in history.“

Master Ok-Sung An-Baron said:

“Between he who has conquered a hundred thousand men in battle and he who has conquered himself, it is the latter who is the greater victor.”

I originally read these quotes on two consecutive days. On its own, the first quote was thought provoking, but when I read the second quote I realized that together they make a profound statement. I sometimes obsess about things I have said or done, or situations I later think could have been handled better. Sometimes, when I examine my actions and am honest about my motives, I don’t like myself very much. But perhaps this accountability is helping me to conquer myself. As Socrates said, “An unexamined life is not worth living.”