acesulfamek
12-05-2008, 01:23 PM
I've wanted to write about this subject for so long, but I could never find a way of saying it quite as elegantly as Mr Penn Jilette.
You must watch this video, especially the last minute in order for my post to make sense. You'll enjoy it - and its very short too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdBSr97u5sQ
How does this idea pertain to Game. There's room for both subjective reality and objective reality, and all people have the potential to lose themselves in both. However, anyone who lives entirely in either domain is doomed to never succeed at this. I've noticed a lot of people are too afraid to reveal their weakness, to themselves or to others. Too reluctant to listen to people with views that contradict long held convictions. Too eager to hold onto convictions that they have no real use for. Too eager to say everybody is right, and be nice, so they never have to be wrong, or humiliated or have it revealed to everybody just how little they know.I've noticed its especially a trait of people who find themselves being submissive socially live too much in a subjective reality, where they never really have anything to stand for, because they stand for everything.
If you live entirely on the fence, with the idea that any method works, and anything as long as its true for you works, then you have never faced being wrong, or really dealt with your failures. You've never had the glory of knowing you've been deceived, nor experienced the wisdom that comes from learning from that lesson.
You're not growing, because you're not acknowledging that certain things may be wrong, may not be true, and you might have been wrong all along. If you believe all paths are equal then you never have the advantage of realising you've been on the wrong path and finding a new one, because why bother - all paths are equal.
In the realm of self improvement: If you believe in a subjective reality you never have to try really hard to find the best method of improving because all methods are true for somebody. You never really achieve wisdom because wisdom is both respecting all views, but understanding very clearly that some views work better than others, and some ways work far better than others.
If you're trying to grow as a person, and you don't experience being wrong or failing on a daily basis then in what direction are you growing? If all paths are equal, then you're just growing in any direction, because it doesn't matter. They're all equal. Its wishy washy and subjective, and never really tangible.
If you can't handle failure, if you can't handle being wrong, you'll never improve. Resist the urge to just enjoy ideas that agree with your own. Cherish opposing views. The next person who proves you wrong about your old ideas - don't argue. Too late. You were wrong. Don't get defensive. Don't retreat into self denial or rationalisations. Accept you were wrong. Accept you've failed. Love it. Rejoice in it, and hope it'll happen again, because now after all these long years in the dark you're finally starting to learn something.
Peace
You must watch this video, especially the last minute in order for my post to make sense. You'll enjoy it - and its very short too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdBSr97u5sQ
How does this idea pertain to Game. There's room for both subjective reality and objective reality, and all people have the potential to lose themselves in both. However, anyone who lives entirely in either domain is doomed to never succeed at this. I've noticed a lot of people are too afraid to reveal their weakness, to themselves or to others. Too reluctant to listen to people with views that contradict long held convictions. Too eager to hold onto convictions that they have no real use for. Too eager to say everybody is right, and be nice, so they never have to be wrong, or humiliated or have it revealed to everybody just how little they know.I've noticed its especially a trait of people who find themselves being submissive socially live too much in a subjective reality, where they never really have anything to stand for, because they stand for everything.
If you live entirely on the fence, with the idea that any method works, and anything as long as its true for you works, then you have never faced being wrong, or really dealt with your failures. You've never had the glory of knowing you've been deceived, nor experienced the wisdom that comes from learning from that lesson.
You're not growing, because you're not acknowledging that certain things may be wrong, may not be true, and you might have been wrong all along. If you believe all paths are equal then you never have the advantage of realising you've been on the wrong path and finding a new one, because why bother - all paths are equal.
In the realm of self improvement: If you believe in a subjective reality you never have to try really hard to find the best method of improving because all methods are true for somebody. You never really achieve wisdom because wisdom is both respecting all views, but understanding very clearly that some views work better than others, and some ways work far better than others.
If you're trying to grow as a person, and you don't experience being wrong or failing on a daily basis then in what direction are you growing? If all paths are equal, then you're just growing in any direction, because it doesn't matter. They're all equal. Its wishy washy and subjective, and never really tangible.
If you can't handle failure, if you can't handle being wrong, you'll never improve. Resist the urge to just enjoy ideas that agree with your own. Cherish opposing views. The next person who proves you wrong about your old ideas - don't argue. Too late. You were wrong. Don't get defensive. Don't retreat into self denial or rationalisations. Accept you were wrong. Accept you've failed. Love it. Rejoice in it, and hope it'll happen again, because now after all these long years in the dark you're finally starting to learn something.
Peace