Akrasia doesn’t begin to describe the problem. I’m going to quote a line from HPMoR that resonated strongly with me:
“You could call it heroic responsibility, maybe,” Harry Potter said. “Not like the usual sort. It means that whatever happens, no matter what, it’s always your fault. Even if you tell Professor McGonagall, she’s not responsible for what happens, you are. Following the school rules isn’t an excuse, someone else being in charge isn’t an excuse, even trying your best isn’t an excuse. There just aren’t any excuses, you’ve got to get the job done no matter what.”
I get heroic responsibility. I’ve felt it in my gut since I was five. When I was 13, and it finally dawned on me that everyone around me was miserable and terrified and angry because the God they were praying to wasn’t listening, my immediate resolution was to abandon worshipping him, and attempt to become a better God myself.
But, some of us aren’t as smart as others, or as charismatic, or as willful, or as physically or mentally strong or resilient. We hear the call, but we don’t have what it takes to answer it properly.
And that’s our fault, too.
And we can’t just stop listening. Not knowing that people need saving isn’t any more of an excuse than not being strong enough to save them. Re-wiring your mind to not feel the crushing need to save them is ALSO a cop-out.
So… yeah. And lest anyone think I’m trying to be self-congratulatory here about my “superior morality”, please understand that I am most assuredly not doing it right—this is a bug, not a feature.
Akrasia doesn’t begin to describe the problem. I’m going to quote a line from HPMoR that resonated strongly with me:
I get heroic responsibility. I’ve felt it in my gut since I was five. When I was 13, and it finally dawned on me that everyone around me was miserable and terrified and angry because the God they were praying to wasn’t listening, my immediate resolution was to abandon worshipping him, and attempt to become a better God myself.
But, some of us aren’t as smart as others, or as charismatic, or as willful, or as physically or mentally strong or resilient. We hear the call, but we don’t have what it takes to answer it properly.
And that’s our fault, too.
And we can’t just stop listening. Not knowing that people need saving isn’t any more of an excuse than not being strong enough to save them. Re-wiring your mind to not feel the crushing need to save them is ALSO a cop-out.
So… yeah. And lest anyone think I’m trying to be self-congratulatory here about my “superior morality”, please understand that I am most assuredly not doing it right—this is a bug, not a feature.