The Two Paths

In this episode, we consider one of life's binary choices: uphill or down. What we mean is this: how do we balance the twin goods of, on the one hand, enjoying what life has to offer and, on the other, exerting ourselves to fulfill our promise and make a better world? What are the ramifications of each decision?

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The Two Paths

Before I get into the meat of this episode, I want to make a disclaimer. This disclaimer applies not only to what we talk about in this episode but to everything we talk about in the show. What I want to be extra clear about is that whenever we speak in generalities, in important ways, we're wrong. We make mistakes. We want to fit the world into our neat and tidy little box, but it doesn't. As Mira Wallace says, “Life is inconveniently complex.” The problem is we don't have any choice. We must generalize.

Another way to think of this is we can't avoid being reductionist. We can't avoid oversimplifying the world mentally. We do this because our limited powers of perception preclude our understanding of the full dimensions of the world. If we were somehow forced to encounter every new observation, idea, or experience as a unique event with no reference to some notional framework, we'd have no basis to build understanding.

Think about how young children encounter the world. Life is mysterious, which frightens and confuses, but it's what also gives us the positive emotions that come from the miraculous and wondrous. We lose those feelings when we lose sight of the fact that compared to all there is to know, we remain childlike in our understanding throughout our lives.

This means that it is appropriate to retain the curiosity and wonder we had as kids. We do better to remember that the world we think about is made of representations and models. The model is not the thing itself. The map is not the territory. Our pictures are incomplete. They lack the mind-numbing detail of the actual world, and our misapprehensions arise in that difference.

We minimize these limiting effects as we learn new models and refine our existing ones. That's why if we want to manifest the full extent of our power, we must remain open, curious, and humble. Without these traits, we'll make assumptions that restrict our cognitive range, ability to adapt, and effectiveness in connecting with other people.

If we want to manifest the full extent of our power, we must remain open, curious, and humble.

Long disclaimer, I could start every episode this way because the Eye of Power is just another model, and we use almost nothing but models to navigate our way in the direction of building our agency, our personal power. The hope is that the ideas we discuss help you with your mental models and reduce, never eliminate, the vagaries that knock us all off course. With that all said, let's talk about that direction.

This episode is entitled The Two Paths in Life. At one time or another, our feet are on either one. The hope is by thinking of our life trajectory in this dualistic way, we can take stock and be more mindful of what we're doing and why. Let's start with path number one. On this first path, the going is easier. This path leads down the hill. Threatening storms are in the distance. They seem to happen to other people. Our steps are light. We can stop and smell the fragrances of the blooms. We're in no hurry. We can be happy-go-lucky.

The second path is less inviting. It's up the hill and it's quite steep and hazardous in many places. We have to work to get anywhere, maybe to exhaustion. It's a lonelier path. Most of the people we know are currently on the other path, laughing, hanging out, having the time of their lives. Meanwhile, we're sweating, stumbling, and navigating countless fogs and ravines as we trudge along.

A benefit of the first path is we don't have to think or worry so much, especially about the big things, the long term, and the consequences of our decisions. We can be more invested in the pleasure life has to offer at the moment. The amazing spectacles of modern entertainment, the transformative immersion and virtual reality, the satisfaction of our favorite desserts, and the calm from not having to be emotionally invested in outcomes. We don't have to pay attention to what's going on in the world because we've decided that's somebody else's problem. That saves us the time and effort of having to educate ourselves about the complex dynamics behind every single public issue.

We can use the time we might have spent on all of that to enjoy the myriad amusements our world has to offer. The second path isn't like that. This path takes work. We are forced to face the storms that come our way, whether they are doing someone else's or the way of the world, and when we do have to deal with consequences, we find we're often doing it by ourselves. After all, we can't outsource learning and understanding.

Hard-won experience is a solo sport. It requires autonomy. That means you must learn about those complicated issues in order to improve your decision-making prowess. Why? Because you're also assuming the responsibility for outcomes in your life. When your fate is in your hands, you can't blame others. It's all on you.

Decisions: We can't outsource learning and understanding. Experience is a solo sport.

The two paths lead to two different places. On path number one, we enjoy the things we enjoy whatever the circumstances bring. In today's world, that is quite a bounty. Nearly everybody can travel to areas of their interest. If we want to alter our consciousness, we don't have to rely upon alcohol alone. Cannabis products are becoming not only legal but technologically tailored to produce a range of desirable effects. Our entertainment options exceed any person's capacity to absorb. The quality of entertainment is stunning. Ultra high-definition images are breathtaking.

The videography at sporting events places us right in the action. The democratization of media production means that millions of podcasts covering every conceivable area of human interest are at our very fingertips. We're beginning to see immersive virtual reality, which will only continue to improve. At some point in the foreseeable future, it may become difficult to distinguish between virtual reality and the real world. When VR can be whatever you want it to be, no fantasy being out of the question, what will the incentive be to take the uphill path?

That second harder path doesn't hold much of those incredible pleasures. The benefit of that path is that we learn more. We grow more. We become more resilient and more self-aware of our strengths and our vulnerabilities. Our confidence makes us more willing to take on challenges. This creates a positive feedback loop, one that leads to greater personal power.

Which path holds more appeal to you? Let me ask this a different way. If you didn't have to work to earn money in order to live a life comfortable to whatever standard you may currently hold, why wouldn't you stay on that first path? Maybe you knew something else about that first path. There are hidden dangers. What are they?

For one, we know that there's something more fulfilling about being the player on that field than the spectator in the stands. The player is accomplishing something that the people in the stands value. What are the people in the stands accomplishing beyond the enjoyment of the moment? When we accomplish, achieve, or do, we feel like we're somehow more than when we don't. On the first path, there is little of that available to us.

There's something more fulfilling about being a player on the field than a spectator in the stands.

Without self-knowledge and achievement, we don't manifest our agency. We have nowhere near the power we would otherwise have. What then? Where does that power go? The answer is it goes to those who take it for themselves. It's part of human nature to seek status. A big part of that is power over others. When we abdicate our personal power, there will always be no shortage of those who will happily fill the void.

Taken to its fullest extent, path number one leads, at best, to comfortable subjugation. It might be okay for a while, but it's not a place that our human spirit will allow us to be satisfied with for long. Most of the time, it's more subjugation and less comfort. This is an old story. It's the story of history. Perhaps the most vivid example was depicted in the Matrix trilogy and its nomenclature. I suppose the question I'm asking is this, do you want the blue pill or the red pill?

The second harder path, the one you get with the red pill, is the noble path. It's the hero's path. It leads to agency. It leads to greater personal power and is the path of freedom. When a population is on this path, there is less vulnerability to autocratic tyranny. People manifesting their agency creates more goods for everyone, regardless of their current path, whether they are consumer goods, medical breakthroughs, scientific understanding, or the kinds of personal growth and achievement that manifest fruits of the spirit, such as joy, kindness, generosity, and peace.

Sure, it's fine sometimes to wander down the first path. Life is better when we learn to enjoy the journey, but gravity will always bring that first path into play. It takes a force of will or a definite decision to take the uphill path. That's the one we're on here together. Let's go.