I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies; for the hardest victory is over self.
Aristotle
Today I came across this quote by Aristotle, a 4th century BC Greek philosopher. Aristotle influenced much of the development of Western philosophy with his ideas regarding logic, science, aesthetics, morality, politics, and metaphysics. Historians often refer to him as "Master of those who know" due to his comprehensive knowledge in a variety of subjects. He wrote over four hundred treaties and books and generally one can find something eminently quotable in his works.
I liked this particular quote because it struck me as being incredibly true. We all have desires in which we wish to indulge. Some of these desires enhance our lives. For instance, the desire to be healthy, to be spiritually-oriented, to be economically secure and to be emotionally stable comprise life-enriching desires. However, these positive drives have their negative counterparts. Many of us desire things that inhibit living well and living fully. Overcoming the impetus to engage in life-inhibiting activities constitutes one of the hardest and most consistent tasks set before us in our lifetimes. Most of us manage the negative desires well, either through controlling our thoughts, the fear of societal recrimination, or the feeling of personal guilt. Still, we continue to desire to do these things, even if we don't specifically engage in the accompanying behaviors. Which begs the question, "Why does being bad feel so damned good?"
In addition to that particular question, I thought about why it takes such intense will power to deny ourselves indulgence in our less-than-healthy behaviors. For the person who craves alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, junk food, unsafe sex, or whatever the damaging act may be, it is always easier to cave into the craving as opposed to resisting it. Are we by nature designed to take the easiest route possible in all things, even to our own detriment? If so, that's seriously messed up! It's proof that God definitely has a wicked sense of humor. If life were fair, the right things would be the easy things to do. The wrong things would take much more work to accomplish.
In light of all these questions, then, I have thought quite a bit about will power. The internal fortitude to accomplish things as well as to resist things can be quite elusive. Not everyone has a well-developed sense of will power or the ability to follow through with action once a decision has been made. Most people struggle with it in some aspect of their lives. I know for certain I do. I think, though, most of us struggle with will power because human nature genetically stacks the cards against us. We are born into bodies that seek out experiences that feel good, regardless of whether or not they enhance or inhibit our lives. In conjunction with this default setting, we enter this world with a predisposition to move towards the smoothest, most comfortable path, which generally isn't the best one. In sum, humanity is kind of screwed in regard to will power.
Aristotle got it right in this particular instance. He who overcomes his desires generally has expended more effort, hard work, and strength of will than he would have in vanquishing an enemy. In order to be the master of our own personal desires, we have to vanquish thousands of years of genetic predisposition. I believe that's why when we see someone who has attained great heights due to will power, we hold that person in very high regard. We all recognize, whether consciously or subconsciously, how very difficult it can be to do.
I hope eventually to be one of those people who taps into her sense of will power and can use it well at any given moment. It takes practice, it takes forgiveness when you don't do it right the first few times, and it take perseverance. In essence, it takes will power to achieve will power. I think God is trying to be humorous again. He really should keep his day job....this comedian thing isn't working too well.
In addition to that particular question, I thought about why it takes such intense will power to deny ourselves indulgence in our less-than-healthy behaviors. For the person who craves alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, junk food, unsafe sex, or whatever the damaging act may be, it is always easier to cave into the craving as opposed to resisting it. Are we by nature designed to take the easiest route possible in all things, even to our own detriment? If so, that's seriously messed up! It's proof that God definitely has a wicked sense of humor. If life were fair, the right things would be the easy things to do. The wrong things would take much more work to accomplish.
In light of all these questions, then, I have thought quite a bit about will power. The internal fortitude to accomplish things as well as to resist things can be quite elusive. Not everyone has a well-developed sense of will power or the ability to follow through with action once a decision has been made. Most people struggle with it in some aspect of their lives. I know for certain I do. I think, though, most of us struggle with will power because human nature genetically stacks the cards against us. We are born into bodies that seek out experiences that feel good, regardless of whether or not they enhance or inhibit our lives. In conjunction with this default setting, we enter this world with a predisposition to move towards the smoothest, most comfortable path, which generally isn't the best one. In sum, humanity is kind of screwed in regard to will power.
Aristotle got it right in this particular instance. He who overcomes his desires generally has expended more effort, hard work, and strength of will than he would have in vanquishing an enemy. In order to be the master of our own personal desires, we have to vanquish thousands of years of genetic predisposition. I believe that's why when we see someone who has attained great heights due to will power, we hold that person in very high regard. We all recognize, whether consciously or subconsciously, how very difficult it can be to do.
I hope eventually to be one of those people who taps into her sense of will power and can use it well at any given moment. It takes practice, it takes forgiveness when you don't do it right the first few times, and it take perseverance. In essence, it takes will power to achieve will power. I think God is trying to be humorous again. He really should keep his day job....this comedian thing isn't working too well.
i like the part in the Bible where Jesus says my yoke is easy and my burden is light
ReplyDeletei think it means doing the right thing is easy...when we let God do it for us
I know it's slightly tangential, but this makes me wonder why humans tend to be the only animals to willingly fight the urges of our genetics.
ReplyDeleteThat's a very good question. It must have something to do with the higher-order thinking skills...either that or we are all just masochists at heart.
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