Self-Discipline is Freedom... From Yourself. | Why it's Important.
If you have been following this channel for a while you might get the idea that I like structure. And I do.
I love productivity, organization, order, and I try to be as disciplined as possible.
When some people hear, they think that it's boring.
They equate a disciplined life of structure to feelings of entrapment.
Before I get into my thoughts on the topic I want to tell you a story.
So its a hot sunny day out and there is this bee and her name is Bertha.
Bertha is buzzing by her hive with some other bees. Just relaxing and having a good time.
Like the other bees, Bertha may have some aspirations doing great things one day.
I can't really say. Bees probably don't have that ability to think those kind of thoughts.
Suddenly a bear starts to approach her hive.
The bear is hungry for some honey and bee eggs.
In an attempt to save her hive, Bertha stings the bear.
But its skin is so thick
that once she tries to pull her sting out she dismembers herself and dies
The sad part about the story is that Bertha had no choice.
Through years of evolutionary wiring she is evolved to sting threats.
It's a biological reaction to dangerous situation.
She has no idea that her sting will get stuck. And that she will die.
If she had known she would have died, she might have flown away and saved her own life.
Bees are prisoners of their own biology.
Unlike bees, humans have the ability to override their biology.
Through Self-Discipline.
Lets say that someone has long-term desires to be in a deep and loving relationship.
To create a meaningful career that they love
And have a healthy body.
Along each step of that journey they are tempted by short term pleasures, such as porn, junk food or video games.
Deep down they really want the life that comes in the long term.
Yet they keep succumbing to short-term pleasures.
The only difference between these two positions is Self-Discipline.
We're luck that as humans we have the ability to practice Self-Discipline
It gives us the freedom to achieve what we truly want in life
and allows us to break free of the biological, or societal cages around us.
And I think that is a pretty amazing and powerful thought.
But it's not so simple.
Companies are aware of our natural, biological reactions
and use this against us by using supernormal stimuli.
An example of supernormal stimuli is junk food.
Our ancestors were wired to seek out and enjoy fat and salty food, because it was so rare at the time.
But now companies have genetically engineered food to include more fats and salts than ever before
in order to make us desire it even more.
Social Media and the internet as a whole is another form of supernormal stimuli
Humans are biological wired to seek out novelty
For our ancestors novelty could lead to more knowledge about the world, which could lead to more wisdom
which helped us thrive as a species
It has its usefulness
However the internet has been designed to take advantage of thisdesire for novelty
by showing you more novelty than you can ever dream of
Every page links out to more pages, with more novelty
And every video to a video with even more novelty
Videogames do the same thing
Some evolutionary psychologists believe that video games, like first-person shooters and massively multiplayer open role-playing games
imitate environments that will be similar to the ones that our ancestors navigated in the past
but supernormal versions of them
Yet we can get greater feelings of accomplishment in video games with a lot less work
The advent of constant achievements showing up on the screen in video games
is good evidence that companies are aware that it will motivate players to keep playing
So not only are we sabotaged by our own biology
But we are being target by cooperation's seeking to take advantage of us and make a profit
On the plus side
You and I are not like the bee, because we are not cased by our own biology
With Self-Dicipline — We can live the life we truly want
We have the choice to be free!
