They say imitation is the highest praise so thanks for writing this. :D
A substantial chunk of my heart identifies with this post, but what I think it’s pointing to is that pain can be a reasonable measure for a certain kind of effort. The difference between this post and mine feels close to the difference between making a desperate effort and making an extraordinary effort.
When I imagine making a desperate effort, it feels like exactly what your post describes: pushing my body to the point of physical exhaustion and reaching a level of achievement I didn’t think possible. When I imagine making an extraordinary effort, I see instead: sitting back in an armchair and surreptitiously saving the world by writing a fanfiction while following my heart’s desire. Reality doesn’t care how much pain you’re in. Perhaps you can tell by my language, but the latter is what I aspire to.
If you live in a world where nobody is trying and you find in yourself the ability to try in one particular way by making a desperate effort, your body might learn that this is the only way to try. I would offer that if you sat back and did only things that came easily, you might learn an altogether different way of trying with all the extra slack that saves you.
There many situations one can be in. Some require desperate effort. Some require extraordinary effort. Some require neither. Some require both.
There is also performative effort—what I call breath to spare and what you describe as “loud public complaining contests”. Performative effort is not effort at all. It is pathetic childish whining.
I found your anecdote about doorknobs funny. I don’t have time for doorknobs. I don’t even turn on lights. I just memorize my home’s layout and then fumble about in the dark. On the one hand, this is stupid. On the other hand, I don’t need a flashlight when I’m out in the wilderness.
If you can save the world by sitting back in an armchair then that’s great! Sometimes I want to jump in a frozen winter lake just because it’s there. From my understanding of human psychology, the less you torture yourself the more your brain will misconstrue minor inconveniences for torture.
I would offer that if you sat back and did only things that came easily, you might learn an altogether different way of trying with all the extra slack that saves you.
One more elaboration on this “avoid pain” mode of thinking: avoiding pain is not necessarily easy. For example in practicing this mode I have refused to do things that are merely slightly unpleasant, at moderately large social cost. This did not come easily to me.
(I suppose one could quibble about whether the path I took was actually more painful because of the psychological discomfort of going against social pressure, but I’m talking more on the level of “what do you do if you take the spirit of the heuristic seriously.” I admit to being confused here which probably means I’m using the wrong words.)
I’ve seen people sacrafice a lot to gain the appearance effort. It looked legitimately painful and I think it was.
To me to shows a willingness to endure physical and emotional pain rather than the mental pain of grappling with uncertainty. All they can do is signal that they do care on some level
They say imitation is the highest praise so thanks for writing this. :D
A substantial chunk of my heart identifies with this post, but what I think it’s pointing to is that pain can be a reasonable measure for a certain kind of effort. The difference between this post and mine feels close to the difference between making a desperate effort and making an extraordinary effort.
When I imagine making a desperate effort, it feels like exactly what your post describes: pushing my body to the point of physical exhaustion and reaching a level of achievement I didn’t think possible. When I imagine making an extraordinary effort, I see instead: sitting back in an armchair and surreptitiously saving the world by writing a fanfiction while following my heart’s desire. Reality doesn’t care how much pain you’re in. Perhaps you can tell by my language, but the latter is what I aspire to.
If you live in a world where nobody is trying and you find in yourself the ability to try in one particular way by making a desperate effort, your body might learn that this is the only way to try. I would offer that if you sat back and did only things that came easily, you might learn an altogether different way of trying with all the extra slack that saves you.
I intended my post as the highest praise. :D
There many situations one can be in. Some require desperate effort. Some require extraordinary effort. Some require neither. Some require both.
There is also performative effort—what I call breath to spare and what you describe as “loud public complaining contests”. Performative effort is not effort at all. It is pathetic childish whining.
I found your anecdote about doorknobs funny. I don’t have time for doorknobs. I don’t even turn on lights. I just memorize my home’s layout and then fumble about in the dark. On the one hand, this is stupid. On the other hand, I don’t need a flashlight when I’m out in the wilderness.
If you can save the world by sitting back in an armchair then that’s great! Sometimes I want to jump in a frozen winter lake just because it’s there. From my understanding of human psychology, the less you torture yourself the more your brain will misconstrue minor inconveniences for torture.
This is good advice I possibly ought to heed.
One more elaboration on this “avoid pain” mode of thinking: avoiding pain is not necessarily easy. For example in practicing this mode I have refused to do things that are merely slightly unpleasant, at moderately large social cost. This did not come easily to me.
(I suppose one could quibble about whether the path I took was actually more painful because of the psychological discomfort of going against social pressure, but I’m talking more on the level of “what do you do if you take the spirit of the heuristic seriously.” I admit to being confused here which probably means I’m using the wrong words.)
“Performative effort is not effort at all”
I’ve seen people sacrafice a lot to gain the appearance effort. It looked legitimately painful and I think it was.
To me to shows a willingness to endure physical and emotional pain rather than the mental pain of grappling with uncertainty. All they can do is signal that they do care on some level