A key point in my book Willpower Condensed is that true pride fuels willpower and motivates self-discipline. Importantly, we must consider two different mechanisms: Pride experience (being prideful, being praised), the emotional reward for having done something great, conditions our will to keep aiming at long-term goals and to stay in line with our core values. Pride anticipation (wanting to experience pride), the emotional fuel for a pride-conditioned will, motivates our will to stay … [Read more...]
Alan Watts on Self-Discipline and Self-Acceptance
As I have just finished reading Alan Watts' autobiography, I must share with you the section that struck me the most: Nevertheless, as I look back I could be inclined to feel that I have lived a sloppy, inconsiderate, wasteful, cowardly, and undisciplined life, only getting away with it by having a certain charm and a big gift of the gab. Yet what am I supposed to do, now, about that! A realistic look at myself, aged fifty-seven, tells me that if I am that, that's what I am, and shall doubtless … [Read more...]
Weakness of Will: A Manifestation of Hell
Weakness of will Not taking action when the calling is loud and clear Bullshit excuses Misusing reason to justify a false will Escape into pleasure Pursuing shallow good feelings to be readily distracted These are the omens Flames flaring up from a personal hell Beware of the devil Hiding right around the corner of a wasted life Stay focused Doing what you truly want But know, too All restless doing's spiritual deficiency A hellish trap Not hearing the soul's call over the … [Read more...]
How Moderation Gives Us Freedom
Moderation is freedom because it increases our behavioral flexibility. It broadens the range of actions we can take in a given situation. It allows us to change our behavior flexibly based on what we truly want to do. Moderation is freedom because it puts our Will in charge of our life. Think about it. A former alcohol addict who cannot allow himself to touch a drink ever again in his life may be perfectly abstinent. But he is not perfectly free. Not as free as someone who has never had … [Read more...]
Why the True Will Is Not a Free Will
Willing liberates: that is the true doctrine of will and freedom. (Nietzsche) Although doing our True Will is freedom, we cannot freely choose what that will consists of. Here is why we do not have a free will (based on my knowledge in cognitive science; for a more detailed scientific argument, read the book Free Will by Sam Harris): The human will is a product of the nervous system, which functions largely beyond conscious awareness. Even if the human will were a product of … [Read more...]
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