Self-awareness is a loosely used term these days. Different factions of our society adapt it to suit their agendas. In the process, they end up maligning its spirit and shackling its purpose. However, for New York-based family physician Dr. Roya J. Hassad, self-awareness is the first step to empowerment.
What does it mean to be self-aware? Who said we aren’t already self-aware? How did they know that? And why should we listen? These are some of the less popular questions around the phenomenon of self-awareness. However, without a clear understanding of what it entails, self-awareness becomes a hobby, a pass time, a mere ornament in the cabinet of life. Dr. Roya J. Hassad acknowledges this and says, “Self-awareness is not just a feeling. It’s a realization; a realization of our true thoughts and true emotions. Knowing our thoughts and the direction in which they lead along with the depths of our emotions as they direct our thoughts is the most reliable way to empower ourselves and our world.”
Today’s world is a messy place. Perhaps, the key to consideration lies not in the rampant wars, inequalities, or prejudices but instead in the causes that have led to these consequences. With the word “self” in self-realization, it’s clear for anyone willing to see that “it is deeply personal. It’s what makes us, and our world is a reflection of that understanding. This sense gives us the power to reclaim ourselves in our world and not get drowned in the noise that surrounds us. Easier said than done, but it’s the one thing worth pursuing with all that you’ve got” says Dr. Roya.
As a medic, Dr. Roya has often seen people suffering from a lack of self-knowledge. They are afraid to love themselves and are worried that others dislike them. For Dr. Roya, such interpretations of life and oneself are a clear symptom of something gone wrong. As she puts it, “lack of self-realization is lack of spirit, energy, and wisdom. Without these, it’s impossible to find one’s ways in the intricately woven fabric of our society. It’s what defeats the whole purpose of empowerment and fills it instead with loosely held ideas that are far from our own but nevertheless have the power to own us.”
Dr. Roya J. Hassad’s determination to fine-tune the concept of self-realization is a goal worthy of admiration and we wish her the best of luck.
