Where is the boundary between "self" and "other"── The Expansion and Dissolution of Self-Other Boundaries

Is only the inside of my skin truly me?

Redefine clear boundaries between yourself and others.

What is the self?

For many people, the "self" is inside the skin. The boundary of the body is the boundary of the self. Inside is self, outside is others.

Is that boundary really fixed?

Why do you feel pain from others' pain? An explanation from the perspective of self-other boundaries.

The variability of "self" as proven by emotions

When my child cries, my chest aches. When my best friend succeeds, I'm happy as if it were my own success. When someone I love is suffering, I suffer too.

At this point, where is the boundary of the "self"?

If only the inside of the skin is oneself, then it's theoretically impossible to feel pain from another person's pain. But in reality, it happens.

In other words, the scope of "self" is not fixed. It expands and contracts depending on the situation and relationships.

People with a broad sense of self and others see the world differently.

When the Wall Between "Self" and "Other" Thins

There is a concept called "self-other boundary."

People with narrow self-other boundaries have a small "self" range. Their own profits, their own emotions, their own conveniences. The world is divided into "me" and "others," with a wall between them.

People with broad self-other boundaries have a large concept of "self." Their family is a part of them. Their team is a part of them. Eventually, society, their country, and humanity become a part of them.

The higher a person's perspective, the less they separate themselves from others. The world is experienced not as "a collection of separate individuals," but as "a field of interacting wholes."

World peace is the maximization of one's own sphere.

The ultimate form of boundary expansion, not lofty ideals

World peaceThere is a saying.

For many people, it's a distant ideal. They're struggling just to get by in their own lives, so they don't have the energy to think about world peace.

However, viewed from the perspective of expanding self-other boundaries, world peace is "a state where one's own boundaries have been maximized."

It's natural to wish for the happiness of one's own family. That circle of "one's own family" gradually expands to include friends, the community, the country, and humanity.

It's easy to say. Love for humanity. Love your neighbor as yourself. Oneness and so on. But few people truly understand and use the meaning of those words.

World peace is not a special nobility, but merely the ultimate form of expanding self and other boundaries.

The question is simple. Won't you expand the scope of your "self" just a little?

If you want to learn more about self-other boundaries, check out the Theta Corridor now!

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