Maps And Territories
We humans tend to use a lot of metaphors.
Way more than we realize.
Metaphors are embedded into our language.
Whenever we use an intangible noun in regular speech, we MUST treat it like it’s a real thing.
Like a couple who is “going through” some problems.
The word “problem” is a metaphor.
You can’t throw a problem out the window or carry it in a backpack.
The word “going through” indicates the type of metaphor we think about.
A tunnel, a thick fog, a haunted forest.
All things you “go through” and HOPE to come out OK on the other side.
Most of the time, metaphors help us to understand what everybody is talking about.
But when we misunderstand metaphors, we can get into trouble.
Essentially, metaphors are rough descriptions.
Easy On The Brain
They describe complex things.
They are NOT the complex things.
For example, consider the word “willpower.”
The power of your will.
The idea to “decide” to do something and then by sheer force of “will” get it done.
But the idea of “will” is really a metaphor.
A decision to do something is a very, very complex process.
A mix of instincts, economics, other people, and deliberate, conscious thinking.
To make things even more confusing, when we “will” something to happen, even by our own actions, those things take place in the future.
And most people absolutely suck at predicting the future.
Even going to your favorite restaurant to order your favorite dish is fraught with disaster.
Future Always Uncertain
You might get there, change your mind, and order something different.
Where is your willpower then?
There is also the question of economics.
Costs and benefits.
Since all the things we “will” to happen take place in the future, we can only GUESS what those costs and benefits will be.
And since we humans tend to OVERESTIMATE the benefits and UNDERESTIMATE the costs, choosing to do something, or to “will” something to happen is based on things we can’t possibly predict.
This is the underlying reason for the yo-yo diet.
The decision to lose weight is made in the abstract.
Based on an IMAGINATION of the costs and benefits.
So when the costs get bigger, it’s NATURAL to quit.
Mis-Calibrated Metaphor
This has absolutely nothing to do with willpower.
Or say you want learn the guitar so you can become a rock star.
You imagine the costs and benefits.
You underestimate how long and boring it will be to learn the guitar.
You overestimate the benefits of being a rock star.
So, after a few months, your guitar sits in the corner of your closet gathering dust.
Does this mean we are doomed to failure?
Absolutely not.
All you need to do is understand the deeper mechanics, and away you go.
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