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The Hollowness of American Self-Esteem
We are, as a culture, too preoccupied with the concept of self-esteem. Keep in mind that classically American self-esteem is attached to fake-it-till-you-make-it positive thinking. And while it’s certainly ideal to feel that oneself is resilient and competent, at its core, the modern conception of self-esteem plays out as a whole lot of talk to oneself and not a great deal of listening.
Self-esteem necessarily requires confidence in all our choices, even if sometimes they are impulsive or we inherently know they are unwise. It can strengthen our assuredness when it may not be appropriate to do so and can weaken our ability to criticize ourselves in a way that is rational and constructive.
In third grade, I remember being introduced to some sort of class curriculum on this very concept — self-esteem. Even then, it struck me as odd that the public school system considered this a responsibility they were burdened with dishing out. In retrospect, I must ask myself, why was this so? Why was it so important to teach nine-year-olds to practice habitually telling themselves they were good, even great? What were they trying to cover up? Why the rush to indoctrinate children into believing that what stood between them and and anything challenging was nothing but their own conception of themselves? (Therefore, implicitly saying that actual shortcomings, human…
