Would love a session with Aristotle to figure this out, as I seem self-indulgent on desserts but hardly so in preferring Too Hot to Handle to this fine essay, and also: Would love to ask him just who is American and who is un-American right now. We're probably all Greek to him.
You nearly derailed my reading with the mention of Too Hot to Handle + Oreos. Fortunately, I persevered to reach the true crux of this piece: YOU DIDN'T CALL THE HYGIENIST!!!!!! What is wrong with you, man?
I find this interesting. I certainly agree that establishing good habits as a tool to avoid introducing pauses to stop and make decisions simplifies life, leaving more of it for accomplishment and enjoyment. This also fits with Steve Jobs' famous quote, not so much on habits, but simplicity itself, "Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it's worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains."
It's also the case that in sales, we know that 2 choices are good ("Would you like this in red or blue?" encourages a close by replacing thoughts of shelling out the price and losing that money with thoughts on which of two options would be better), but 10 are bad. Too many options paralyze, and the sale is stalled or lost as the prospect realizes they have more to think about before they can decide and move forward.
On the other hand, in economics, one of the key metrics we use to assess quality of life is the number of choices of available: more = better (always). Maybe this isn't a contradiction. Perhaps the economic use of choice merely recognizes that different individuals have different preferences and so if a society or economy can offer more choices, more individuals can each find the set that that person prefers. Each individual could still seek to simplify and habitualize as much of his or her own life as desired.
However, if we think of OPTIONS available to us even on the individual level, don't we all benefit from having more to choose from? More vacation options, more books to read, more sports to play, more music styles to hear, more breeds of dog to wag tails at us?
How would Aristotle simplify this mix of benefits on choice, habit, and simplicity? Or is that very question missing the point?
Life offers infinite choices. We are just not required to make them. By restricting those choices ourselves, we save mental energy and can stick to better habits. This is what Aristotle meant I believe.
Choices are simply an indicator. If you’re happy with them, that implies you’re aligned with your Aristotelian soul. If you regret your choices, you have an alignment problem.
Would love a session with Aristotle to figure this out, as I seem self-indulgent on desserts but hardly so in preferring Too Hot to Handle to this fine essay, and also: Would love to ask him just who is American and who is un-American right now. We're probably all Greek to him.
You nearly derailed my reading with the mention of Too Hot to Handle + Oreos. Fortunately, I persevered to reach the true crux of this piece: YOU DIDN'T CALL THE HYGIENIST!!!!!! What is wrong with you, man?
I find this interesting. I certainly agree that establishing good habits as a tool to avoid introducing pauses to stop and make decisions simplifies life, leaving more of it for accomplishment and enjoyment. This also fits with Steve Jobs' famous quote, not so much on habits, but simplicity itself, "Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it's worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains."
It's also the case that in sales, we know that 2 choices are good ("Would you like this in red or blue?" encourages a close by replacing thoughts of shelling out the price and losing that money with thoughts on which of two options would be better), but 10 are bad. Too many options paralyze, and the sale is stalled or lost as the prospect realizes they have more to think about before they can decide and move forward.
On the other hand, in economics, one of the key metrics we use to assess quality of life is the number of choices of available: more = better (always). Maybe this isn't a contradiction. Perhaps the economic use of choice merely recognizes that different individuals have different preferences and so if a society or economy can offer more choices, more individuals can each find the set that that person prefers. Each individual could still seek to simplify and habitualize as much of his or her own life as desired.
However, if we think of OPTIONS available to us even on the individual level, don't we all benefit from having more to choose from? More vacation options, more books to read, more sports to play, more music styles to hear, more breeds of dog to wag tails at us?
How would Aristotle simplify this mix of benefits on choice, habit, and simplicity? Or is that very question missing the point?
Life offers infinite choices. We are just not required to make them. By restricting those choices ourselves, we save mental energy and can stick to better habits. This is what Aristotle meant I believe.
Barack Obama famously practiced choicelessness limiting his wardrobe to only blue or gray suits.
Too many choices can drive a person crazy so is choice a form of mental health or just good for your soul? Or can those be the same thing?
Choices are simply an indicator. If you’re happy with them, that implies you’re aligned with your Aristotelian soul. If you regret your choices, you have an alignment problem.