Well, it's nearing the end of November, so rather than try to cram more profound posts into the rest of Season 2, I'll save them for Season 3. Basically the theme for Season 3 will be the path to teacher certification. Though, my blog season will be staggered with the teaching certification program. The path to teacher certification would really take up a good chunk of Season 4. But I doubt I'll have time to keep up my blog then. So, Season 3 will be the path leading up to the start of the program at least.
Right then. We'll see how this goes. Here's the link to Season 3: http://killdeerchronicles3.blogspot.com
And there's the Season Archives in the sidebar.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Motivation from what we want vs. what we don’t want
In the earlier version of Season 2, I’d written a post called “The life we choose?” In that post, I discussed the ideas behind not just the decisions we make, but why we make the decisions we do.
I’ve thought about this more and more over the last few months regarding what really motivates people to do what they do in life…or rather, what motivates their decisions. And I find there is a common trend which is that a lot of people tend to make decisions based on what they don’t want instead of what they want.
Two examples I can think of. People believe in God not because they want to live forever, but because they don’t want to die and/or go to Hell. Nobody gives much thought to what it really is to live forever…just so long as they don’t die.
The other example is marriage (or any committed long-term relationship). Here especially, people don’t hold out for what they want, nor do they really go after what they want when they find it…likely because they’ll always be looking for someone better. So the motivation isn’t, “I want to find (or be with) someone who I’ll be happy with,” it’s, “I don’t want to be alone.”
Another way of putting it is that people will usually take what they need instead of holding out for what they want. And I’m finding it hard to fit in with this kind of thinking because I always think it’s better to make decisions based on what I want. There’s nothing very satisfying about simply getting what I need.
But then there’s the problem of options in our lives. And here I think back to the realizations from playing poker. We don’t all hold the same cards, so we don’t all have the same options. (And even if we did, we still wouldn’t all make the same decisions with those cards.)
I recently watched a movie called “Blow”, about the true story of the rise and fall of George Jung, who basically made the American cocaine market in the 1970s.
The most poignant part of the movie was this conversation between George and his dad. It went something to the effect of:
“I’m not angry with you. I just don’t understand the decisions you’re making.”
“Dad, I’m really good at what I do.”
“Son, you could have been good at anything you wanted.”
I considered that last comment. But looking at George’s life, looking at my own life, looking at the lives of others…their experiences, their personality traits….the reality is, we may have the potential to do anything we want, but we can only really make decisions based on the options before us (as influenced by the experiences we’ve had and options we've taken in the past that have brought us to the views we hold today…views that others in the same set of circumstances, may or may not have come to).
We can’t make decisions based on options that simply aren’t there.
Considering my personality traits, my past, the events that have brought me to where I am now, the viewpoint that has developed, and where I seem to be able to go from here, I’m feeling more like I am on a set path in spite of my efforts to stay off a conveyer belt. And I’m wondering if there is anything I can do to change my options. But I don’t know. Perhaps if I can accept the life I seem to have, I can be happy with it.
I have a few more posts on the backburner. Not sure if they’ll be posted on this season or on Season 3.
I’ve thought about this more and more over the last few months regarding what really motivates people to do what they do in life…or rather, what motivates their decisions. And I find there is a common trend which is that a lot of people tend to make decisions based on what they don’t want instead of what they want.
Two examples I can think of. People believe in God not because they want to live forever, but because they don’t want to die and/or go to Hell. Nobody gives much thought to what it really is to live forever…just so long as they don’t die.
The other example is marriage (or any committed long-term relationship). Here especially, people don’t hold out for what they want, nor do they really go after what they want when they find it…likely because they’ll always be looking for someone better. So the motivation isn’t, “I want to find (or be with) someone who I’ll be happy with,” it’s, “I don’t want to be alone.”
Another way of putting it is that people will usually take what they need instead of holding out for what they want. And I’m finding it hard to fit in with this kind of thinking because I always think it’s better to make decisions based on what I want. There’s nothing very satisfying about simply getting what I need.
But then there’s the problem of options in our lives. And here I think back to the realizations from playing poker. We don’t all hold the same cards, so we don’t all have the same options. (And even if we did, we still wouldn’t all make the same decisions with those cards.)
I recently watched a movie called “Blow”, about the true story of the rise and fall of George Jung, who basically made the American cocaine market in the 1970s.
The most poignant part of the movie was this conversation between George and his dad. It went something to the effect of:
“I’m not angry with you. I just don’t understand the decisions you’re making.”
“Dad, I’m really good at what I do.”
“Son, you could have been good at anything you wanted.”
I considered that last comment. But looking at George’s life, looking at my own life, looking at the lives of others…their experiences, their personality traits….the reality is, we may have the potential to do anything we want, but we can only really make decisions based on the options before us (as influenced by the experiences we’ve had and options we've taken in the past that have brought us to the views we hold today…views that others in the same set of circumstances, may or may not have come to).
We can’t make decisions based on options that simply aren’t there.
Considering my personality traits, my past, the events that have brought me to where I am now, the viewpoint that has developed, and where I seem to be able to go from here, I’m feeling more like I am on a set path in spite of my efforts to stay off a conveyer belt. And I’m wondering if there is anything I can do to change my options. But I don’t know. Perhaps if I can accept the life I seem to have, I can be happy with it.
I have a few more posts on the backburner. Not sure if they’ll be posted on this season or on Season 3.
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