Well, and I thought the anonymity issue would spark off some real HEAT...
I watch a lot of bad tv. It is an addiction I am trying to break. HOWEVER, one observation I make of a lot of what I call "makeover shows" is that they assume a particular relationship between an inner self and an outer self.
What inevitable happens is that they get you a new outer self - wardrobe, weightloss, plastic surgery, makeover, organise your house, whatever - and then make all these claims about the inner self having changed. "I am a totally new person" - because I have had a haircut.
Now, at first I laughed at this. How silly. Of course the inner self is the same self - changing the outer is merely window-dressing, merely surface level change that doesn't effect the "real" me.
But then, I thought, "actually, there is something true about this. The outer self is not a lesser self or merely a means by which we experience the world. It IS ourself in the world. So change it, and there are at least inner effects...."
or something like that...
8 comments:
Intriguing. In the same way there isn't a body-spirit dichotomy? Or something else?
The outer self has a massive influence on the inner self, so its not surprising that changes to it will affect our inner life.
But one mark of spiritual maturity is the extent to which the "inner self" is not influenced by circumstances. Maturity in Christ is being who God wants us to be regardless of what is happening around us.
Break the tv habit - it will give you so much more time...
hmm. Is this inner/outer image the wrong picture for the way the self is, though? Rowan Williams (yes the Archbishop of Canterbury) points out that this is a spatial metaphor when perhaps the Christian way of thinking is actually temporal. That is, there is the self and the self the self will (or ought) to become. The inner/outer metaphor means we see ourselves as separate to our bodies which is actually not the case, biblically.
I was probably thinking in terms of your definition, with the "outer" self being that part of us which interacts with others, and the inner self being that part which self-reflects.
I think that is a valid distinction to make.
Ah, the TV habit...two days ago I saw Parkinson interview some (English) women who host a show about makeovers. He gave them a hard time - they kept claiming they 'completely transformed' people by changing them on the outside.
Whoever says behaviour only follows belief has one eye shut. If Confucius didn't say that, I'm sure he meant to. Good observation, Michael. Biblical teaching seems to aim at synchronizing the two selves, doesn't it? (A temporal metaphor for you). Rather like synchronizing my Palm Pilot and my laptop. Both change at different rates and need to be aligned or my life doesn't work. Hope you're doing well!
Thanks greg! (which greg?)
The inner or the outer?
I now have a profile...
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