There’s such a great parallel here with conventional medicine endorsing its truths. Even in the face of personal experience (as well as gold standard evidence), we still hear doctors who are treating patients with cancer, diabetes, multiple sclerosis say that “diet is not important”. Those who try and find diet useful - life changing, even - don’t need THE truth. Nor - as you’ve reminded us - do they, or we, need to convince others that THE truth is not as useful as it sounds. The challenge, I guess, is when THE truth is not only wrong, but not useful. Imagine the suffering that could be alleviated if THE truth were true and useful.
That's a great point Eric. True and useful would be the dream scenario but I'm not sure we'll ever completely get there. As long as our useful continues to get better I think that's good enough.
I had a lightbulb moment with your idea, specifically applicable to my marriage. Strong relationships=room for multiple truths. I could see the embrace of this principle saving countless relationships. I love everything about this idea of usefulness being what matters, but this line of thinking seems more appropriate for already psychologically healthy and relatively balanced individual.s To encourage others who are wounded, highly defended, invested in denial or alternative realities to happily bypass "truth" in order to cover over their pain, or advance their own agenda, doesn't seem useful. A compulsive liar finds their version of truth useful as a way of dodging responsibility. Donald Trump has an encyclopedia of truths that are useful to him and toxic to others. I find this idea simultaneously intriguing, useful, exciting, and more complex than it appears at first glance.
Ah Rick as usual your insightful comment makes me take a step back and rethink what I've just written. I love the tie in to relationships having room for more than one truth. A con artist does a fantastic job of ignoring truth and only doing what's useful to them and that can lead to great pain and suffering in others. I guess useful not true can be used for good or evil depending who's hands it's in.
There’s such a great parallel here with conventional medicine endorsing its truths. Even in the face of personal experience (as well as gold standard evidence), we still hear doctors who are treating patients with cancer, diabetes, multiple sclerosis say that “diet is not important”. Those who try and find diet useful - life changing, even - don’t need THE truth. Nor - as you’ve reminded us - do they, or we, need to convince others that THE truth is not as useful as it sounds. The challenge, I guess, is when THE truth is not only wrong, but not useful. Imagine the suffering that could be alleviated if THE truth were true and useful.
The note about caffeine made me think. I can't have caffeine due to a stomach condition, so how do I usually pep myself up? I caught on to that placebo effect, I sometimes will eat protein, a cold glass of water, something that feels like it'll help me focus. Although, that doesn't have much truth or reasoning... I feel like it's a form of procrastination to till I eventually sit down to do my work... Yet it is part of my routine to get me started!
Your protein and water is equal to my cup of coffee. It probably helps trigger your mind that it's time do the work. As long as it works for you, that's all that matters!
This is such a fantastic articulation one of my absolute favourite/most used quotes — “I reject your reality and substitute my own.”
Also, your second point about humans using 10% of their brains legit made laugh out loud 😁
Oh I like that line Lamar. Haha you have no idea how happy that makes me when I hear that something I wrote made someone literally LOL!
There’s such a great parallel here with conventional medicine endorsing its truths. Even in the face of personal experience (as well as gold standard evidence), we still hear doctors who are treating patients with cancer, diabetes, multiple sclerosis say that “diet is not important”. Those who try and find diet useful - life changing, even - don’t need THE truth. Nor - as you’ve reminded us - do they, or we, need to convince others that THE truth is not as useful as it sounds. The challenge, I guess, is when THE truth is not only wrong, but not useful. Imagine the suffering that could be alleviated if THE truth were true and useful.
That's a great point Eric. True and useful would be the dream scenario but I'm not sure we'll ever completely get there. As long as our useful continues to get better I think that's good enough.
I had a lightbulb moment with your idea, specifically applicable to my marriage. Strong relationships=room for multiple truths. I could see the embrace of this principle saving countless relationships. I love everything about this idea of usefulness being what matters, but this line of thinking seems more appropriate for already psychologically healthy and relatively balanced individual.s To encourage others who are wounded, highly defended, invested in denial or alternative realities to happily bypass "truth" in order to cover over their pain, or advance their own agenda, doesn't seem useful. A compulsive liar finds their version of truth useful as a way of dodging responsibility. Donald Trump has an encyclopedia of truths that are useful to him and toxic to others. I find this idea simultaneously intriguing, useful, exciting, and more complex than it appears at first glance.
Ah Rick as usual your insightful comment makes me take a step back and rethink what I've just written. I love the tie in to relationships having room for more than one truth. A con artist does a fantastic job of ignoring truth and only doing what's useful to them and that can lead to great pain and suffering in others. I guess useful not true can be used for good or evil depending who's hands it's in.
There’s such a great parallel here with conventional medicine endorsing its truths. Even in the face of personal experience (as well as gold standard evidence), we still hear doctors who are treating patients with cancer, diabetes, multiple sclerosis say that “diet is not important”. Those who try and find diet useful - life changing, even - don’t need THE truth. Nor - as you’ve reminded us - do they, or we, need to convince others that THE truth is not as useful as it sounds. The challenge, I guess, is when THE truth is not only wrong, but not useful. Imagine the suffering that could be alleviated if THE truth were true and useful.
The note about caffeine made me think. I can't have caffeine due to a stomach condition, so how do I usually pep myself up? I caught on to that placebo effect, I sometimes will eat protein, a cold glass of water, something that feels like it'll help me focus. Although, that doesn't have much truth or reasoning... I feel like it's a form of procrastination to till I eventually sit down to do my work... Yet it is part of my routine to get me started!
Your protein and water is equal to my cup of coffee. It probably helps trigger your mind that it's time do the work. As long as it works for you, that's all that matters!