Lifestyle Philosophy Spirituality

The Misunderstanding of Binary Thinking

We abuse the idea of non-binary thinking to justify our fecklessness and foolishness.

 

There is the idea that few things are black-or-white.

Indeed most things in life have both pros and cons.

Some things have more advantages and some things have more disadvantages. Some things have a lot of advantages and a lot of disadvantages. Some things have few advantages and few disadvantages.

We place those things on a greyscale — some are more net-advantageous, some are less net-advantageous.

 

Now, what do you do with the least advantageous, most disadvantageous options?

Well, you make a binary decision – between keeping those options, and discarding them entirely.

You decide to discard the worst options, obviously.

You make a very binary decision – and it’s the obvious decision and it’s the right decision.

You discard what clearly doesn’t work and work with what shows some promise.

You’re non-binary with the promising options but you are binary, black-and-white with the terrible options. You discard them and don’t waste any more time on them.

 

Now, this degree of black-and-white thinking obviously applies to ALL subjects in life:

-don’t go broke

-don’t ruin your life

-don’t get stuck

-don’t jump out of a fucking building

-don’t park your can on a tree

there are options which you simply discard,

there are rules which you simply don’t break, and don’t consider breaking.

 

Now, many such truths you take for granted, many such truths are obvious, and many such truths are correct indeed.

But then there are some truths which you will discover over the course of your life

Truths and rules which you clearly should recognize as non-negotiable, unbreakable, binary.

Realizations that there is very very clearly a better way of doing things, better way of living, better way of existing and coexisting.

 

Now, unfortunately, humans have innate resistance to change

Ego hates the change. Ego wants to survive: and to survive is to persist, changeless and motionless and pompous and heavy.

We are innately resistant to changes, more resistant to drastic changes,

A binary change in a matter of great importance is a cold shower to the ego

You will be looking to avoid such troubling predicament

Why not half-change?

Alas!

 

I generally recommend slow-stepping most changes to:

-build positive momentum

-break the innate resistance to change

-build habit

-get positive feedback

-not run out of energy

-fluently implement the changes

alas!

Alas some matters are black and white

Once you realized the irrefutable nature of some things – it’s utterly impossible to deny it,

And then – to NOT act in accordance with that truth is the beginning of self-deception — which is even worse then being ignorant to that truth.

Once you seen it – you can’t un-see it

Now you’re burdened with that truth – and you have to bear it

 

So what happens now?

You can’t un-see it, you can’t deny it, but you can’t bear it either,

You’re not perfect

Perhaps you can take the truth, most likely not

But the least you can do is realize that yes: the truth is indeed the truth – the realization is final, the rule is indisputable, the path is clear,

The least you can do is NOT deny it – upon realizing just how difficult it will be to thread this path

You can’t half-adhere to that truth, to that rule – that would be to deny it.

But if you can remain cognizant of it at all times – striving to adhere to it – while also being aware of the resistance you’re experiencing, and that this resistance is that of going against the current, and only that…

Then you may still falter – but at least at no points did you relapse to denial of that truth, relapse to self-delusion

 

Some matters really are binary

You know what you DEFINITELY should NOT be doing

You know that some things are not worth even a second of your time

You know SOME decisions would obviously benefit your life

You know some rules which definitely must not be broken – or else the world would clearly collapse into chaos

Some such realizations will only come to you tomorrow

And once they do – there is no turning back

And it will be tremendously difficult to break out with the way you lived and thought your entire life – and take on this new identity

And you shall likely fail at times

But then you will remember what is right

And as long as you do – you will find your way back

MIND YOU it doesn’t permit you to stray!

You don’t stray

When you “stray” – you instantly find a workaround

You instantly make up for it, twice

This is how you know you didn’t trick yourself into failure — so as to deny the truth yet again — but you actually faltered

When you always hold yourself accountable to your shortcomings – you will eventually be forced to step up

But again: the absolute crux of the matter is the full realization and commitment to the truth you discovered

And again: many matters are not black-and-white… but SOME ARE

And you will recognize them in your life

And never ever deny them