Self exploration is investigating oneself to determine one's values, beliefs, and desires. It involves focusing on the present self and resolving any contradictions between the current and desired self. Self exploration helps create dialogue within oneself, promote self-evolution, and recognize one's relationships with others. Natural acceptance is unconditionally accepting oneself and others without exceptions. It refers to absorbing qualities from others while maintaining one's own identity.

1. SELF EXPLORATION AND
NATURAL ACCEPTANCE
Dr. Abhijit Mishra

2. • Self exploration is a process of investigating and
judging within ourselves :-
i. what is valuable to us?
ii. what is right for us?
iii. what is true for us?
• We get the value of ourselves through self
exploration.
• It is a process of focusing attention on ourselves, our
present beliefs and aspirations vis-à-vis what we
really want to be.
WHAT IS SELF EXPLORATION?

3. • If there is no difference between what we are and what
we want to be, then there is no problem.
• But if there is a difference, it implies we are living with a
contradiction (of not being what we really want to be)
which we need to resolve.
• In short, self exploration is a process of discovering the
innateness and universality between all human beings.
• Self exploration enables us to look at the contradictions
within us and resolve them by becoming aware of our
natural acceptance.
WHAT IS SELF EXPLORATION?

4. • Content of self exploration is finding answers to the
following fundamental questions of all human beings:
i. The Desire/Goal: What is my (human) Desire/ Goal? What
do I really want in life, or what is the goal of human life?
ii. Program: What is my (human) program for fulfilling the
desire? How to fulfil it? What is the program to actualize
the above?
• The two questions above cover the whole domain of human
aspirations and human endeavour. Thus, they form the
content of self- exploration.
WHAT IS SELF EXPLORATION?

5. • Self exploration requires two aspects :-
i. Natural acceptance: unconditional and total
acceptance of the self, people and environment;
absence of any exception from others.
ii. Experiential validation: a process that infuses direct
experience with the learning environment and content;
as a philosophy and methodology in which the direct
experience and focused reflection of the individual helps
to increase knowledge, develop skills and clarifies
values.
WHAT IS SELF EXPLORATION?

6. • Self exploration helps in :-
i. creating a dialogue between what we are and
what we want to be.
ii. self evolution by self investigation.
iii. knowing the entire existence through knowing
oneself.
iv. recognizing one’s relationship with other units
of existence and fulfilling it.
PURPOSE OF SELF EXPLORATION?

7. • Self exploration helps in :-
v. knowing human conduct, human character and
living accordingly.
vi. being in harmony in oneself and in harmony
with entire existence.
vii. identifying our innateness and moving towards
self organization and self expression.
PURPOSE OF SELF EXPLORATION?

8. • Natural acceptance implies unconditional and total
acceptance of the self, people and environment.
• It also refers to the absence of any exception from
others.
• It is way to accept the good things naturally.
• Learn everything that is good from others, but bring
it in, and in our own way absorb it; do not become
others.
WHAT IS NATURAL ACCEPTANCE?

9. • Characteristics of natural acceptance are :-
i. Does not change with time. It remains invariant
with time. For example our natural acceptance
for trust and respect does not change with age.
ii. Does not depend on the place. Whatever we
have accepted, in our life, at any time of our
age, does not change, even if we move from one
place to another one.
WHAT IS NATURAL ACCEPTANCE?

10. iii. Does not depend on our beliefs or past
conditionings. No matter how deep our belief or
past conditioning, as long as we ask ourselves
the question sincerely, as long as we refer deep
within ourselves, the answer will always be the
same.
iv. Is 'constantly there', something we can refer to.
Natural acceptance is always there. Whatever
we do, this natural acceptance is within us, it is
telling us what is right.
WHAT IS NATURAL ACCEPTANCE?

11. v. Natural acceptance is the same for all of us: it is
part and parcel of every human being, it is part of
humanness. Though each one of us, may have
different likes and dislikes and means to live and to
react etc. but if we go deep in our mind the purpose
of our work, behaviour, efforts etc. are based on
common goals like need to be happy, need to be
respected, need to get prosperity. So our basic
acceptance remains the same.
WHAT IS NATURAL ACCEPTANCE?