When one talks about knowing oneself it is an identity that one is referring to, that which gives one the character of the individual. So one is associating oneself with the body and the brain which is the somatic mind. That is the meaning of self with a small s. When one talks about the potential of the mind to access truth, to fathom reality, to chart one's day to day, moment my moment activities as karma in sanatan dharma, one is talking about the Self as some Entity beyond the self that the mind has come into resonance with by losing all the attachments to bodily functions of survival and functionality. This Entity beyond is what we Vishista advaita Vedantists call God who is the best guide to one's actions every moment of the day. So when one is talking about knowing the Self with a capital S, one is talking not about the person for the ego has disappeared and there is no person as self remaining. The individual is liberated into taking actions from the Entity beyond, the God lying dormant in his psyche whom he access through this Supermind. This is in the final stage of the process of Realisation that one gets up to.

One needs to associate with others socially but at the same time one needs to be be totally free of all friends and acquaintances in ones truth-search for that is the quest of the mission to see the Reality of God; to test if He is genuinely present and available as a Personal God to each and every one of us depending on our commitment to seek Him out of His hiding place (elusivity) within us. That is the goal of life for it brings with it total liberation also. One is li liberated from the bodily functions and the world into the the thoughts of what God might have in store for one as one proceeds with one's living. So be free and discover the nature of God within, would be my advice. It is worth it for the advice and guidance one receives in this manner is faultless in terms of one's dignity to live in liberation and attaining a decent life at the same time.