Re: virus: Yoda
Tony Hindle (t.hindle@joney.demon.co.uk)
Mon, 7 Apr 1997 10:37:03 +0100
In message <970406.191912.CT.COOKCORE@ESUVM>, "Corey A. Cook"
<COOKCORE@esuvm.emporia.edu> writes
>Saw the Star Wars Trilogy again. Got to thinking about the Jedi and
>whatnot. Yoda says "Do or do not. There is no try." Sounds good, sounds
>rational, sounds true. Question: is it?
>
>A synthesis of "Do or do not. There is no try." goes like this:
>In any action, success must be visualized and the subject must believe
>in success. Otherwise, subject will subconsiously sabotage the action,
>leading to defeat.
>
>Question: is it possible to take an action, and succeed, without belief
>in success or defeat?
No. I reckon we all evaluate and have a "working belief" that we
will succeed or fail. There is of course the possibility that you can
believe "trying and failing" will be worth it.
Sorry if this is missing your intended point but it is an area
that intrigues me. I have negative beliefs that are based on rational
analysis of my experience and I want to delude myself into changing
them.
I reckon there are certain activities that are better performed
by a deluded person. Paradoxically the delusion can be "I can do it" and
can then be self fullfiling. I realise this would retrospectively change
the status of the person from "deluded" to "not deluded". Now I am lost.
Perhaps its cos I've never seen the star wars trilogy.
Tony Hindle.