The Art of Self-Improvement: Ten Timeless Truths - Emerge

The main change in self-narratives and self-conceptions across the centuries is that in Western societies, we now see the self as autonomous and isolated, whereas in the past and in many Asian societies, the self is understood as essentially relational.

Do we see ourselves as lone warriors, out there in hostile territories to secure our own advantages? Or as embedded parts of communities, or of specific ecosystems, or nature as a whole?

We are embedded, encultured, and embodied beings. We are in no ways like machines. And to model our self-help technologies on machine-like entities is really damaging.

the imperative to improve ourselves, constantly to be working on ourselves, is an incredibly strong cultural expectation in our times. Many of us, including myself, have internalised it unquestioningly. But where did it come from? Was it always like this?

most of our self-help is deeply ideological: it is not just harmless advice literature. It powerfully shapes our aspirations and our values and our behaviours.

For me, the ultimate aim of self-improvement is to be able to direct as much energy as we can outwards – to other people and worthy projects.