Confusing self-awareness and clarity [for decision-making]
People often confuse:
(1) being “self-aware”
with (2) being clear of cognitive afflictions (that cloud/misguide self-awareness).
The first one is as popular as it is misguided: “I am mindless 24/7, but I will check my thoughts and emotions just now to make the right decision.” Such a self-awareness “lens” is not free from the impact of the same factors that cause the thoughts and emotions we look at. So one’s decision-making pretty much “stays in the box.”
The second type of self-awareness is indeed not just beneficial, but critical for valid reasoning, unbiased perception/clarity, creativity, etc. But such better decision-making is a result of ongoing compound improvement, daily Emotional Hygiene/removal of cognitive errors, etc. One cannot get it by a casual look inside (option 1).
