Self Evaluation; How objective could it really be....?

While there are many ways to talk about who we are and what opinions we have about any particular subject, it seems a bit tricky to be objective about one's self in light of how we feel or what we think. Certainly, self-help, self reflection, paying attention, tendencies and habitual or repetitive acts, all form a particular kind of consciousness affected by our attachments, filters and positive/negative past experiences...oh, and let us not leave out our fantasies and nightmares (fears). Perhaps the reason why historically the challenge of self observation has pre-occupied so many is a direct result and in fact, connected to history itself; why it seems to repeat itself, why we learn soooo slowly, why we seem to "travel our lives and forget or remember so selectively". Pain seems to be connected to forgetting things we don't know how to deal with or don't want to have happen again..it also seems that this is the point through which history repeats itself and why it take so long to learn very basic things.

Stalking is a union or agreement with self that understands that knowing ourselves and the inner terrain, paying attention to clues or "signs" (tracks) and the nature of the animal we are tracking (our ego) is not as difficult as a lifetime commitment of being at the mercy of one's self. (photo taken from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/suckamc/3089537877/ )

Observation of self is no small undertaking given the many things we feel we need to do, the multitude of distractions that are available to us, the insatiable curiosity we have and the fear we carry about being open with even ourselves, let alone others. Common sensing and the relationship with our first brain (the heart) is key to practical abilities to find our causal world as a "workable place". Sensing our world is a step in the direction to clarity and trusting basic feeling senses provide correct alignment with the mind. When thinking is dominate, our Spirit is offended and confusion and un-clarity offer random and senseless options. Extended states of "not thinking" seem to help unravel the "Gordian Knot" of the past, the random options and possible directions of the present and the fantasy and delusional hopes of our future.
Stalking or learning from the clues we leave ourselves is intimately connected to sincerity and the connection of the senses, heart and mind. All answers may be found from within if we are willing to slow down and allow the open environment to exist and extend into the affected areas that we sense the imbalance to be in. Some challenges take more time than we care to give to them but rarely does impatience solve our suffering. Not wanting to face our difficulties, conflicts or past issues that show up in our present leads to states of denial, justifications, loss of energy and a host of side effects that rob us of basic sanity. Stalking is a union or agreement with self that understands that knowing ourselves and the inner terrain, paying attention to clues or "signs" (tracks) and the nature of the animal we are tracking (our ego) is not as difficult as a lifetime commitment of being at the mercy of one's self. Daily review, things that happen that feel strange or odd, pain in any form and a general willingness to pay attention to yourself and all of what you do and feel can lead us to wholeness. Yes, this is a much longer conversation and there is much more to it... perhaps you have some comments...?