The Oracle of Delphi was a Priestess in the ancient Greek city of Delphi. The inscription of the maxim was written the Temple of Apollo at Delphi and was visible to worshippers as they entered the temple and a favorite maxim repeated often by the classical Greek philosopher Socrates. The maxim “Know Thyself” means that it is important for individuals to understand oneself and one’s nature and after one understands oneself, then one can understand the nature of other people. The Greek maxim is as applicable today as it was in about 10th Century B.C. For singles in the state of singlehood, “Know Thyself” is helpful because one should know one’s strengths and weaknesses before entering into a relationship and in life.
It is important that am individual is aware of one’s strengths in personal, romantic, and professional relationships. Strengths are the abilities that one has and uses every day. An individual should accurately gauge one’s strengths and act upon them. After an individual assesses and is aware of one’s strengths, then one has become more aware of oneself and of one’s realistic capabilities in life. These strengths can than be applied to a variety of relationships in daily life.
Likewise, it is important that an individual knows one’s weaknesses. In contrast to knowing one’s strengths, one should know one’s weaknesses because they are skills that one lacks knowledge or expertise. Further, it displays to others that one has humility and one does not seek to control all aspects of something by oneself because one knows and understands one’s limits. Similarly, knowing one’s weaknesses in life will make one more attractive to an employer or in different contexts of personal relationships in singlehood.
When it comes to personal or romantic relationships, it is wise for an individual to know one’s strengths and weaknesses in life. This knowledge will create meaningful discussions and show to your friend, or romantic partner, that you know what you able to do proficiently as well as you are not able to do by yourself. Communication, verbal and nonverbal, is essential to any type of relationship. If you want to succeed in professional, personal, and romantic relationships in life, then it is important as a single person to “Know Thyself.”
In the year 2016 A.D., there are still many lessons that modern civilization can learn from classical Greece. For single people, it is paramount that one learns what one’s strengths and weaknesses are in life. This will help in professional and work life when applying for jobs or when a boss asks if you can successfully finish a new job by a deadline. This knowledge will help when working on personal projects for solving problems in daily life or helping friends because you can communicate about the things that you enjoy and that you dislike doing because you know your skill set. For romantic relationships, you are able to articulate to your romantic partner what skills and knowledge you bring to the relationship and learn to work better as a team. The Temple of Apollo in Delphi taught a wise maxim to visitors of the temple to “Know Thyself” and single people today should apply this aphorism throughout one’s life.
