Why are we afraid of who we are?

I’ve been doing a lesson with some Year 8 student this week which involves thinking about how we appreciate ourselves. Every time they say that sending loving kindness to yourself is vain or selfish.  It’s not a unique response to get to this topic but one that I find very intriguing.

I had a conversation with a student this afternoon about what I believe, and as much as I love talking about myself (!), it was still quite interesting to see how I responded to that. Obviously there are boundaries between teachers and students, and perhaps the juxtaposition between the way I present myself when teaching and the way I present myself during concerts, workshops, interviews etc. makes it an interesting discussion…but for whatever reason, it left me wondering – why are human beings afraid of who we are?  If God loves us enough to suffer torture, ridicule and painful death for us – because he accepts us for who we are – why can’t we do the same?

Perhaps this is a religious practice for us – to begin to appreciate ourselves and other people in the way that God accepts us.  An interesting thought!!