Once again it is winter, daylight-wise.
And that means that this camper is once again fighting the Early Bedtime Syndrome. This is no laughing matter, at least for some of us. Nothing degrades the quality of sleep like going to bed too early. What if I could make a lousy two minutes of improvement per day? Just think, an hour per month!
In working on this project, you can't help but appreciate how general this issue is. Once I was biking up Snow Canyon (St. George, UT) and passed a mother who was towing a baby trailer behind her bike. In it was a 25 pound youngster. I kidded her about persisting with this hill-climb over the next year, and getting stronger and stronger as the child gained weight. She smiled and referred to some folk tale (or fable) about carrying a calf when it was young, and continuing with this habit until it was a cow. Five points of extra credit to any reader who knows the name of this fable.
Indeed gradual daily improvement of just about any kind is capable of producing enormous improvements over time. This is an old idea which we all know. In "Rambler #2" (Quotidiana.org), Samuel Johnson said, "...it is not sufficiently considered that men more frequently require to be reminded than informed."
But even more than being reminded we need a way for our active Will to act on this principle. Why is it so difficult to move from Platitude to Practice?
A scenery tourist in the Southwest, where the topography is dominated by erosion, would be most admirable if they saw in these "sermons in stone" something more than just eye-candy. If they could see the result of slow, relentless erosive forces, and somehow get inspired enough to incorporate that principle into their daily lives.
Although my battles with the Early Bedtime Syndrome might just be one trivial example from a wide world of examples, it is a near-perfect avatar. Because time is easier to measure than just about anything else, it is easy to detect small tick-tocks of progress; and that means steady encouragement.
Recall the quotes from William James about breaking bad habits: what matters is not the size of your improvements, but rather, the un-interruptibility of your progress. Take baby steps forward if you must; but never take a step backwards.
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My title refers to the tactics of Fabius Maximus, the great Roman general. Those with a classical bent might enjoy reading the linked article on Wikipedia, and the classic chapter on Fabius in Plutarch's "Lives." (Gutenberg.org)
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| A precise solar calendar of cliff and grassland. Just walk to the same spot every day. |
And that means that this camper is once again fighting the Early Bedtime Syndrome. This is no laughing matter, at least for some of us. Nothing degrades the quality of sleep like going to bed too early. What if I could make a lousy two minutes of improvement per day? Just think, an hour per month!
In working on this project, you can't help but appreciate how general this issue is. Once I was biking up Snow Canyon (St. George, UT) and passed a mother who was towing a baby trailer behind her bike. In it was a 25 pound youngster. I kidded her about persisting with this hill-climb over the next year, and getting stronger and stronger as the child gained weight. She smiled and referred to some folk tale (or fable) about carrying a calf when it was young, and continuing with this habit until it was a cow. Five points of extra credit to any reader who knows the name of this fable.
Indeed gradual daily improvement of just about any kind is capable of producing enormous improvements over time. This is an old idea which we all know. In "Rambler #2" (Quotidiana.org), Samuel Johnson said, "...it is not sufficiently considered that men more frequently require to be reminded than informed."
But even more than being reminded we need a way for our active Will to act on this principle. Why is it so difficult to move from Platitude to Practice?
A scenery tourist in the Southwest, where the topography is dominated by erosion, would be most admirable if they saw in these "sermons in stone" something more than just eye-candy. If they could see the result of slow, relentless erosive forces, and somehow get inspired enough to incorporate that principle into their daily lives.
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| Human-sized slot canyons near Socorro, NM. Not great eye-candy, but there are metaphors here. |
Although my battles with the Early Bedtime Syndrome might just be one trivial example from a wide world of examples, it is a near-perfect avatar. Because time is easier to measure than just about anything else, it is easy to detect small tick-tocks of progress; and that means steady encouragement.
Recall the quotes from William James about breaking bad habits: what matters is not the size of your improvements, but rather, the un-interruptibility of your progress. Take baby steps forward if you must; but never take a step backwards.
_________________________________________
My title refers to the tactics of Fabius Maximus, the great Roman general. Those with a classical bent might enjoy reading the linked article on Wikipedia, and the classic chapter on Fabius in Plutarch's "Lives." (Gutenberg.org)
Comments
But I'm afraid you were slow to the (Jeopardy) buzzer. Another reader scooped you by a couple hours, so I'm afraid that he/she won the 5 points.
You base everything on this premise "Nothing degrades the quality of sleep like going to bed too early." (third sentence under the first picture) Since you never question the truth in that, you set up a tunnel vision approach to problem-solving. Undoubtedly you have drawn that conclusion from some previous experience of yours but that doesn't make it universally true.
I certainly can fall asleep early and then wake up in the middle of the night. However, I don't share your toxic opinion of television and find some really good programs on in the middle of the night which I think are lower in popularity than others so that is the time they are scheduled. On public television, lots of documentaries, nature programs, etc. and this is true of other stations as well. I suppose it's harder to be on the computer at that time of night. Anyway, there are times I intentionally do this because that is when a program is on.
Which I think is enough evidence to lend doubt to your statement.
Sometimes in life we don't always have to swim upstream. Sometimes Will isn't the best approach. Sometimes it's pretty darn nice to go with the flow. The geology of the planet will tell you that this is the ultimate winner anyway.
Anyway, my purpose in writing again is to share that you can watch an interesting lecture on youtube, if you want. Query: Sam Harris on Free Will. Sam Harris also wrote "The End of Faith" among other things. His lecture is interesting because it opens up the mind to consider how our Will might have been formed and makes one question exactly how free we really are with the goals that it determines for us. Good stuff.
Good luck with vanquishing your new dragon. :) (and all that happy stuff)
I see the result of my own daily erosion and it is aggravating.
Jim
Astronomy lends itself well to many philosophical musings!
There is a universe of wonder, physics, legend and beauty (gasp) just outside your trailer door.
Now, I'm not talking about the dummy'd down crap that passes for science education these days. I know you just got your library card renewed, try anything by Terence Dickinson if you have the slightest interest.
By the way, I envy your night time temps down there. Looking out my window, it's 4 F.