Someone recently contacted me to ask how I decided to settle on "Self Strong" as the tag line for my blog. There are a couple of reasons.
First of all, when I was thinking about this blog and on what I wanted to focus, I knew I wanted to talk about ideas related to the self and identity. It didn't take too long for me to get to the importance of being authentic. The problem with using "authentic" or "authenticity" as a part of my primary tag line is that use of those words is not always done in the context of who we are as individuals. I wanted to be certain that those who came across my blog knew that I was talking about identity and the self.
As I thought more about what comes to mind when I think of someone who is authentic I thought things like: "They really know who they are." "They aren't afraid to show who they are." "They're proud of who they are." "They will protect who they are." Etcetera. In other words their self is solid, strong.
The other thing that was going on as I was developing this blog is that I was re-watching some of the Harry Potter movies. I know a lot of people really don't care for the books and/or the movies; however, what I really like about the stories is the character development. The main characters are complex and evolve in really psychologically interesting ways throughout the stories.
In my conversations with my husband, who is also a psychologist, he said that he thought the entire story is a metaphor for the self and that Harry Potter (and all those on the "good" side) struggle against powerful forces that try to annihilate them. Of course in real life we don't deal with that kind of annihilation, but we do regularly deal with forces around us that seek to crush our sense of self. Advertisers do an excellent job reminding us that if we don't use their products we aren't good enough. Some of the people with whom we directly interact subtly and not so subtly let us know when we're okay and when we're not.
So whether you agree with that analysis of the Harry Potter stories or not, it was the opening scene of the Deathly Hallows, Part I that solidified for me the idea of strength of self and being Self Strong.
The scene itself, indeed the movie itself, begins with an extreme closeup of Rufus Scrimgeour, Minister of Magic, who is addressing the evil that is growing and how they will take care of it. Here's a link to that opening scene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnwO9fZaNo0
Here is the transcript of that scene:
"These are dark times, there is no denying. Our world has, perhaps, faced no greater
threat than it does today. But I say this to our citizenry: we, ever your servants, will
continue to defend your liberty and repel the forces that seek to take it from you! Your
Ministry… remains… strong!"
When I listen to that scene now and with the idea of being Self Strong in mind, this is how I would translate that scene:
"These are dark times, there is no denying. Your Self has, perhaps, faced no greater
threat than it does today. But I say this to your True Self; I, ever your servant, will
continue to defend who you truly are and repel the forces that seek to take your True Self
from you. Your Self...remains...strong!"
(Spoiler Alert!) Yeah, I know this Minister of Magic gets killed. Perhaps it is a bit of a stretch to translate that scene into the language of being Self Strong; however, the conviction of that speech is what really fits. He is pledging to do whatever it takes to protect that which is good and to destroy evil. He, without equivocation, says that those who are in a position to do that kind of protecting are strong and will get the job done.
That is what it means to be Self Strong. You know what is good for you (people and situations that allow you to self-activate and are supportive of you when you do). You know what is bad or evil for you (people and situations that do not allow you to self-activate and that may try to destroy your self when you do). You will do whatever you need to in order to protect your self.
None of that is easy to figure out. None of that is necessarily easy to accomplish. But the fight is worth fighting. You are worth fighting for. You deserve to have the kind of forces within you that have courage of conviction and some measure of strength to defend who you truly are. You deserve to be Self Strong.
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First of all, when I was thinking about this blog and on what I wanted to focus, I knew I wanted to talk about ideas related to the self and identity. It didn't take too long for me to get to the importance of being authentic. The problem with using "authentic" or "authenticity" as a part of my primary tag line is that use of those words is not always done in the context of who we are as individuals. I wanted to be certain that those who came across my blog knew that I was talking about identity and the self.
As I thought more about what comes to mind when I think of someone who is authentic I thought things like: "They really know who they are." "They aren't afraid to show who they are." "They're proud of who they are." "They will protect who they are." Etcetera. In other words their self is solid, strong.
The other thing that was going on as I was developing this blog is that I was re-watching some of the Harry Potter movies. I know a lot of people really don't care for the books and/or the movies; however, what I really like about the stories is the character development. The main characters are complex and evolve in really psychologically interesting ways throughout the stories.
In my conversations with my husband, who is also a psychologist, he said that he thought the entire story is a metaphor for the self and that Harry Potter (and all those on the "good" side) struggle against powerful forces that try to annihilate them. Of course in real life we don't deal with that kind of annihilation, but we do regularly deal with forces around us that seek to crush our sense of self. Advertisers do an excellent job reminding us that if we don't use their products we aren't good enough. Some of the people with whom we directly interact subtly and not so subtly let us know when we're okay and when we're not.
So whether you agree with that analysis of the Harry Potter stories or not, it was the opening scene of the Deathly Hallows, Part I that solidified for me the idea of strength of self and being Self Strong.
The scene itself, indeed the movie itself, begins with an extreme closeup of Rufus Scrimgeour, Minister of Magic, who is addressing the evil that is growing and how they will take care of it. Here's a link to that opening scene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnwO9fZaNo0
Here is the transcript of that scene:
"These are dark times, there is no denying. Our world has, perhaps, faced no greater
threat than it does today. But I say this to our citizenry: we, ever your servants, will
continue to defend your liberty and repel the forces that seek to take it from you! Your
Ministry… remains… strong!"
When I listen to that scene now and with the idea of being Self Strong in mind, this is how I would translate that scene:
"These are dark times, there is no denying. Your Self has, perhaps, faced no greater
threat than it does today. But I say this to your True Self; I, ever your servant, will
continue to defend who you truly are and repel the forces that seek to take your True Self
from you. Your Self...remains...strong!"
(Spoiler Alert!) Yeah, I know this Minister of Magic gets killed. Perhaps it is a bit of a stretch to translate that scene into the language of being Self Strong; however, the conviction of that speech is what really fits. He is pledging to do whatever it takes to protect that which is good and to destroy evil. He, without equivocation, says that those who are in a position to do that kind of protecting are strong and will get the job done.
That is what it means to be Self Strong. You know what is good for you (people and situations that allow you to self-activate and are supportive of you when you do). You know what is bad or evil for you (people and situations that do not allow you to self-activate and that may try to destroy your self when you do). You will do whatever you need to in order to protect your self.
None of that is easy to figure out. None of that is necessarily easy to accomplish. But the fight is worth fighting. You are worth fighting for. You deserve to have the kind of forces within you that have courage of conviction and some measure of strength to defend who you truly are. You deserve to be Self Strong.
Like what you read? Want to read more but don't want to have to keep coming back? Subscribe now! You can get Self Strong delivered to your RSS reader or delivered right to your email inbox. You choose! Both options are available on the top right of this page.
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