do what you want
Here's a news flash: You know all those people who tell you not to do what you want to do? That doing what you want all the time is bad for you. Even that you should contract your wants, or do your duty and stop being a child who does what they want all day and is irresponsible?
Rubbish! Hypocritical rubbish, at that.
Human beings only do what they want to do. In fact, humans NEVER do anything they don't want to. Bullshit you cry? I hate going to work, you retort, I certainly don't want to, but I have to because I am duty bound to, or something like this.
Not so. You don't *have* to do anything - you only do what you want. Think about it. Your desire to not go to work is less than the alternative - and some corresponding perceived consequence of NOT going to work like: being yelled at by your boss, being looked down on as a slacker by your peers / wife / husband / parents, and the last and probably most important, not having any money. You want to be free of the anxiety of not having a secure financial future, more than you want to stay home and not go to that god damn hell hole. You desire living free of these unpleasant things more than you desire to not go to work, so therefore, you go to work to avoid these unpleasant consequences that you want to experience less than you want to experience going to work.
People always do exactly what they want to do at that moment - trouble is they sometimes get wrapped up (or habituated) into doing what they want right then and there without thinking about their other wants, which can actually be stronger. They want to drink that beer, but they have forgotten at the moment they want to be more healthy and less fat and the long term pleasure of being so more than they want the 15 minutes of pleasure drinking that beer.
This isn't revolutionary, or ingenious. This is common sense that everyone has been told - but most people get it confused to think there is a such a thing as duty vs. want. Duty is merely the name people give to actions or a opinions about actions that they want to do because it makes them feel responsible and good about themselves. They would feel guilty if they didn't do what they were dutybound to do, and most people who believe in duty (if not all), would rather do their duty than feel guilty about not doing it.
Rubbish! Hypocritical rubbish, at that.
Human beings only do what they want to do. In fact, humans NEVER do anything they don't want to. Bullshit you cry? I hate going to work, you retort, I certainly don't want to, but I have to because I am duty bound to, or something like this.
Not so. You don't *have* to do anything - you only do what you want. Think about it. Your desire to not go to work is less than the alternative - and some corresponding perceived consequence of NOT going to work like: being yelled at by your boss, being looked down on as a slacker by your peers / wife / husband / parents, and the last and probably most important, not having any money. You want to be free of the anxiety of not having a secure financial future, more than you want to stay home and not go to that god damn hell hole. You desire living free of these unpleasant things more than you desire to not go to work, so therefore, you go to work to avoid these unpleasant consequences that you want to experience less than you want to experience going to work.
People always do exactly what they want to do at that moment - trouble is they sometimes get wrapped up (or habituated) into doing what they want right then and there without thinking about their other wants, which can actually be stronger. They want to drink that beer, but they have forgotten at the moment they want to be more healthy and less fat and the long term pleasure of being so more than they want the 15 minutes of pleasure drinking that beer.
This isn't revolutionary, or ingenious. This is common sense that everyone has been told - but most people get it confused to think there is a such a thing as duty vs. want. Duty is merely the name people give to actions or a opinions about actions that they want to do because it makes them feel responsible and good about themselves. They would feel guilty if they didn't do what they were dutybound to do, and most people who believe in duty (if not all), would rather do their duty than feel guilty about not doing it.
posted by JB @ 8:48 AM
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