#self-knowledge

I am a man of fortune, and must seek my fortune.

— Attributed to Henry Avery ("Long Ben"). A General History of the Pyrates (1724).

Henry Avery said this plainly, without apology. No ideology, no manifesto. Just an honest accounting of who he was and what he was doing. It's the most stripped-down pirate statement in the record — almost refreshing in its directness.

There is a kind of integrity in claiming your motivations without dressing them up. Avery wasn't pretending to be a freedom fighter or a philosopher. He wanted wealth and was willing to go and get it by whatever means were available to him. He said so.

The insight is about self-knowledge. Most dishonesty in human behavior comes not from lying to others but from lying to ourselves about what we actually want. Avery knew what he wanted. You can disagree with the methods and still respect the clarity.

🔭 Observatory Note

Source: A General History of the Pyrates (1724).

Reliability: Attributed. Short, undramatic quote — which somewhat increases plausibility.

Caution: Still filtered through Johnson. Henry Avery (c.1659–unknown) is historically real and well-documented. He captured the Mughal ship Ganj-i-Sawai in 1695 in one of the most profitable pirate raids on record. His subsequent fate is unknown — he simply vanished from the record.

We’ve been sold a very specific myth about self-knowledge. It usually arrives dressed in soft lighting and moral seriousness. Slow down. Turn inward. Observe what’s happening inside with slightly more honesty than usual. Sit with yourself. Journal. Reflect. Notice your thoughts. Notice your feelings. Become conscious of your inner weather and, by some implied miracle, become more conscious of who…

"Seek to know yourself in every way. Study your strenghts, weaknesses and seek to develop and master them respectively. Do not ignore what you don't like about you. Confront it and dominate it. Self-knowledge becomes self-love and allows you to become a stronger being."

🔥 Focus of the Week The journey ends where it began: within. The final sayings of the Gospel of Thomas reveal that all seeking—of truth, God, salvation—is fulfilled through self-knowledge. To know yourself is not ego worship; it is the Gnostic act of remembering your origin and reclaiming your divine spark. 📖 Readings: Gospel of Thomas – Sayings 3 (revisited), 108, 113 📜 Gospel of Thomas –…

शून्य जैसें गृह । कां चैतन्येंवीण देह ।तैसें जीवित तें संमोह । ज्ञानहीना ।। १९४ ।। ज्ञानेश्वरी अध्याय चौथा ओवीचा अर्थ – जसे ओसाड घर किंवा जसा प्राणरहित देह व्यर्थ होय, तसें ज्ञानहीनास जीवित हें केवळ शून्यवत आहे. या ओवीत संत ज्ञानेश्वर महाराजांनी अत्यंत सुंदर आणि सहज सोपी उपमा वापरली आहे. ते म्हणतात, 👉 “शून्य जैसें गृह” – जेव्हा एखादे घर रिकामे असते, तेव्हा ते निर्जीव वाटते, त्याला कोणतेही…