A to Z Challenge: My theme this year is NYC before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

KAHLO: It is near impossible to sum up in a short blog post, everything Mexican painter, Frida Kahlo was. She accomplished so much in her forty-seven years and I have great admiration for this unapologetic revolutionary. She began her painting career in 1925 after a bus accident left her bed-ridden for three months. Using a specially rigged easel and mirror, she painted many self-portraits while on her back. She found inspiration through native folk art, popular Mexican culture, and post-colonialism, exploring questions of race, gender, class, and identity. A political activist, Kahlo used her work to express statements against colonialism, sexism, and racism. Married to famous muralist, Diego Rivera, she often lived and worked in his shadow, remaining relatively unknown until the 1970s after art historians and political activists discovered her work.

Last year, we had the opportunity to see Frida Kahlo: Appearances Can Be Deceiving, at the Brooklyn Museum, the largest U.S. exhibition of her work in ten years, and the first in the United States to display a collection of her personal belongings. (I wish I could have taken pictures, but we weren’t allowed!)

Her clothing, jewelry, hand-painted corsets and prosthetics (all incredible!), and many artifacts from her home in Mexico City, were on display–discovered and inventoried in 2004, after being locked away since her death in 1954. Kahlo and Rivera stipulated that their possessions not be disclosed until 15 years after Rivera’s death.

We were also lucky enough to catch the Viva Americana exhibit at the Whitney Museum last month. Last year, it seemed Frida popped up everywhere and it thrills me to see that she remains a symbol of resistance and justice.

KNOW THYSELF: I touched on this in both the H and I posts. Do we really know ourselves? Is it even important? The term, “know thyself” has been attributed to about a dozen Greek sages (hard to find an exact paper trail on this one) and according to the 2nd-century Greek traveler, Pausanias, the term was inscribed on the forecourt of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi.

Ancient Greek philosopher, Thales said knowing oneself is difficillima factu (roughly translated as this shit’s hard). Conversely, what’s easiest? “To give advice.” Yes, that’s true, as you will see from my post. Self-knowledge is considered the highest form of knowledge and is a concept that essentially went viral, traveling the globe through races, cultures, traditions, religions, teachings, and more, including art and literature.

Achieving self-knowledge is a tall order, even for the most devout seekers. And would it be worth a lifetime of dedication or a letdown like Men in Black International? (Hmm . . . my second MIB reference of the challenge . . . ) Those much smarter than me have determined the value of self-reflection: enriched emotional intelligence and greater empathy and listening skills; improved critical-thinking skills and decision making; strengthened communication and relationships; and enhanced leadership capabilities and capacity.

The average person will never attain this enlightenment, but there are ways to cultivate the benefits in our day to day lives, and what better time to try than now? First of all, start small. Find a quiet place to sit alone and do what you need to do to make yourself comfortable–basically, set the mood to relax mode.

A starting point could be identifying a situation or relationship in your life that might benefit from some self reflection, such as a meeting at work or an argument you had with someone. Oftentimes, we (including myself) do not want to ask ourselves these questions, because they force us to take a look at our behavior and we may not like what we see. However, it’s better than avoiding it as you’re more likely to make better decisions later. So take some cleansing breaths and ask . . .
How are you helping others in their goals?
How are you not helping, or even hindering someone’s goals or perspectives?
How could you have been more effective?
What are you avoiding?
What did you learn?
What are you still unclear about?

Try just ten minutes a day and see what happens and whatever you do, don’t beat yourself up about anything. Use the reflection as a way to expand your capacity for empathy and compassion–two things I feel are the basis for a good human.

Check out 87 Self-Reflection Questions for Introspection to get the self interview started.