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This week’s post is a collection of ideas, a sharing of what is on my mind. Sometimes the ideas will not come together. Instead of trying to force them, I let go and set them free.
1. Now.
This moment is the only thing that is real. Our bodies understand this, but our minds get caught up in the past and more importantly, we get caught up in the future. The reality of this moment continues to impress upon me the fact that there is no such thing as the future.
Tomorrow is always tomorrow, next week is always next week and next year is always next year. We can agree on timelines and nomenclature to mark and record change, but what drives itself home to me is the reality of right now.
2. Hyperbolic discounting
Rewards that exist in the future have little to no value to us because we insintinctively understand that the future never happens. Without a future there is no reward. This lays the groundwork for indulgence of instant gratification. Without awareness of ourselves in this moment we can make decisions that are damaging to the self.
To combat the tendency towards instant gratification we can time shift a reward to the current moment. In doing this we create gratification that overrides detrimental indulgences. The kind of indulgences that bring negative long term consequences with gradual damaging change.
Think smoking, 2000 calorie greaseball cheeseburgers, etc…
3. Incentives
Understanding our incentives, and the incentives that exist within society helps us understand the motivation behind decisions made in the moment. Incentives are designed to elicit a certain behavior, and most incentives designed by forces outside of the self come with unintended consequences.
The incentive systems in our society are reaching a breaking point. The phenomena of Hyperbolic discounting prevents us as individuals and as a society from making the choices necessary now to affect positive change.
Think Social Security, health care, global warming, consumerism, etc…
4. What makes us different?
What makes people different, what makes me unwilling to accept the incentives offered by government and society? What makes me unwilling to take advantage of the systems in place when so many already do? What makes me different when in the end, if the system collapses it won’t matter who did and who didn’t succumb to the incentives, we’ll all be left holding the same empty, broken, collapsed bag.
What keeps me from walking away?
What keeps you from walking away?
6. Immersion
Immersion in the minds, hearts and ideas of others is critical, exploring the connection between us through the portal of the self is where growth and awareness blossoms. This is the brain of civilisation, this is the idea factory, not you or I as an individual, but we together ferment, marinate and produce the collective consciousness of the world and through that consciousness ideas are born.
These ideas are not mine, they are as much yours as they are anybody else’s. Take them, nibble a bit and taste them. Then take a moment to spread the ideas via the tweet and like buttons below. Exploit the collective consciousness and see what emerges from us.
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I really am liking the podcasts Spyros. I like listening to you talk while I read along. Very helpful!
I liked your point about “if the system collapses”. However, I do believe that those that take advantage of a system should be held accountable. The issue comes when you realize that in some way, some how, we all take advantage of the system. No one is blameless and therefore, we all have a part to play. I think it’s not so much a matter of “who did it and who should be blamed” as it is, “I am to blame..now how do I step up and fix my mess?”
I so agree, but I never see that accountability come to those who do abuse the system. In fact, I would say that accountability as a whole is a false concept. The only real accountability is our own, which I think is an idea worth exploring in a post! Thanks for the inspiration!