We have to realize that we are as deeply afraid to live and to love as we are to die.
R. D. LaingRead
In a world full of danger, to be a potentially seeable object is to be constantly exposed to danger. Self-consciousness, then, may be the apprehensive awareness of oneself as potentially exposed to danger by the simple fact of being visible to others. The obvious defence against such a danger is to make oneself invisible in one way or another.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Self-consciousness arises from the awareness of potential judgment or danger when being seen by others.
This quote by R. D. Laing explores the concept of self-consciousness, suggesting that being aware of oneself in a visible manner exposes an individual to various dangers, including judgment and scrutiny from others. Laing argues that this awareness can lead to a desire for invisibility as a form of defense against the inevitable challenges and criticisms that come from being observed in a social context.
Themes
Self-ConsciousnessDangerVisibilityAwarenessSocial JudgmentInvisibility
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about social anxiety, this quote can illustrate how visibility brings challenges.
More from R. D. Laing
All quotes →Madness need not be all breakdown. It may also be break-through. It is potential liberation and renewal as well as enslavement and existential death.
R. D. LaingRead
Whether life is worth living depends on whether there is love in life.
R. D. LaingRead
The experience and behavior that gets labeled schizophrenic is a special strategy that a person invents in order to live in an unlivable situation.
R. D. LaingRead
The range of what we think and do is limited by what we fail to notice.
R. D. LaingRead
Here we have the paradox, the potentially tragic paradox, that our relatedness to others is an essential aspect of our being, as is our separateness, but any particular person is not a necessary part of our being.
R. D. LaingRead
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