Why We Run From Ourselves
We avoid self-reflection not because we lack time, but because we fear what we might find. The noise is not a necessity; it is a defense.
“Why is it so hard for me to just sit quietly with myself? Why do I constantly fill my time with distractions, work, and noise? What am I afraid of?”
People avoid studying themselves Because the meeting with themselves is threatening.
Self-study is not the acquisition of knowledge. It is standing before the Inner Truth. Before the contradictions. The deficiencies. And the longings That were never given a name.
A person runs from himself Because there, he meets his pain and his responsibility. And there, it is impossible to blame external circumstances.
The Animal Soul (Nefesh Behamit) fears observation that undermines its control. Therefore, it distracts the mind with noise, constant occupation, and routine.
A person fears the Truth Not because it is hard. But because it Obligates Change.
The avoidance of self-study Is a defense mechanism. As long as a person is busy outside, He is exempt from the internal decision.
But precisely there— In the place from which we run— Freedom is found.
Because true self-study Opens the way for a person to return to his Root.
✍️ Translated from the Hebrew wisdom of Ruth Kedem