04-23-2009, 02:31 PM
Hoofhurr Wrote:Ahh human psychology. I've read some interesting studies that show that people who can convince themselves that they will always win or who are really good at blocking out the possibility of losing actually perform better than those people who entertain the possibility of losing. Stoic personalities most likely incorporate similar aspects of self-deception which makes them look like heroes if they actually do win and like inflexible, unadaptive idiots if they end up losing.
This is a fascinating dichotomy of self-perception that I believe is central to people's personalities. I think a lot of political arguments stem from certain personalities being more capable of self-deception than others. Some people try to include as many possibilities as possible in their analysis while other try to eliminate as many as possible. Which one are you?
I definitely fall into the 'possibillionaire' category where there a billion possibilities to explain a particular phenomenon. I think most people oversimplify reality and I'm forever evaluating all the consequences of my actions before taking any. I would think the people on the other side of the coin readily discount as much as possible and act as quickly as they can and deal with the consequences afterwards.
I think a lot of people that may be defined as stoic think about things in terms of black and white, live by strict codes and develop rigorous habits that contextualize reality very neatly and make "decision making" very easy. Reality of course is much more complex but considering all the possibilities before acting is not usually the best way to survive something.
I'm like you. I've been trying for about 3 years to become a better decision maker. It's really tough. I always thought "executive summaries" were made because executives were stupid. As it turns out, I now realize that they're made to facilitate decision making. No one can make decisions based on ten thousand facts, but we can make decisions based on 7 facts. And to tie it all in, I think Adama limited his decision making choices by drinking.
"Hamilton is really a Colossus to the anti republican party. Without numbers he is an host within himself. They have got themselves into a defile where they might be finished but too much security on the republican part will give time to his talents and indefatigableness to extricate them. We have had only middling performances to oppose to him. In truth when he comes forward there is nobody but yourself who can meet him. His adversaries having begun the attack he has the advantage of answering them and remains unanswered himself. For God's sake take up your pen and give a fundamental reply to Curtius and Camillas" - Thomas Jefferson to James Madison