THE AKRASIA IN EVERYONE
https://37bloggers.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-akrasia-in-everyone.html
Akrasia
Many a time we know we should be engaging in certain behaviors, but instead we actively or passively choose not to, and thus we act or become lazy. The Greeks have a name for this: Akrasia. It means 'lacking command' or 'weakness of the will'. Akrasia is described as a lack of self-control, or the state of acting against one's better judgement.
Audio of Akrasia (Music by Chinmaya Dunster – New Moon)
Audio Player
00:0000:01
We have all experienced this form of procrastination. We have all good intentions to do one thing, yet somehow we find ourselves avoiding it and doing another! The Greek philosopher Socrates asks precisely how this is possible—if one judges action 'A' to be the best course of action, why would one do anything other than 'A'? A person, according to Socrates, never chooses to act poorly or against his better judgment; actions that go against what is best are only a product of being ignorant of facts or knowledge of what is best or good.
Socrates was right. Akrasia or, as it might be referred to, laziness, indolence or sloth is more complex than we might think. We often assume it's one's non-inclination to activity despite having the ability to act. That one has the potential, but is idle in applying it.
Yet, if we flip the coin, we would see that there is indeed another side to the tale. Perhaps akrasia or laziness is due to the fact that one is ignorant, doesn't know the facts, is not motivated enough and if not, the question that needs to be asked is why not?
If a person were ill in bed or physically disabled, we would not have the same expectations of them. Hence, akrasia is not a lack of ability, but a lack of eagerness and interest in applying the effort.
If one had to catch a 4am flight for a summer holiday, one would not only renounce sleep, but also be restless to arrive at the airport. The motivation would be a strong case for renouncing the sleep. In the same way, if we are not getting around to do the things we want to do, then why not? Look for the motivator. What would motivate you to do it? What would you attain? Weigh up the benefits.
For Aristotle, the antonym of akrasia is enkrateia which means 'in power' (over oneself). Aristotle believed that our actions rely on our opinions. If a person believes A to be better than B, then he will want to do A more than B. If he wants to do A more than B, then he will do A rather than B. He will act against his better judgement, making the action the product of opinion rather than reason.
There is something called the effort-motivation equation in which we are likely to put in only as much as effort as would motivate us to complete our goals. Cooking is one of those things. Unless you are an avid chef, you are likely to stand in the kitchen only enough time as it would take to prepare a basic meal. Hence what would determine the outcome of any action is how important the goal is and how motivated we are to achieve it.
Akrasia may be due to a lack of power. We often know what is the right thing to do; yet we lack the power in enforcing that action. Power comes from knowing what I need to do and why I need to do it. We call this purpose.
Power comes from knowing one's purpose, engaging one's will and creating a determined thought. Focusing on having good health and fitness would be a good purpose to concentrate on.
Another determinant in being motivated is how energetic we are. If we have just run a marathon, we would be less likely to feel like cleaning the house! In such cases, if we take time out, we should not feel guilty for doing so, we need to view it as a reward for our efforts, and to re-emerge from it as an enthusiast for the future.
Taking a holiday, break or a retreat would not be deemed lazy. In fact it gives us time to step back and reflect on our life and to set our direction, as weakening armies did in past times.
It's Time… to move away from akrasia and into enkrataeia. Understanding what is the right thing to do and finding a strong enough motivation to actually do it. In this way we eliminate laziness and sloth, and live with purpose. ( BK Aruna Ladva)
Posted By OKWUDIRI STRAIGHTMAN NWALI for PROUDSTARS.BLOGSPOT.COM.
Many a time we know we should be engaging in certain behaviors, but instead we actively or passively choose not to, and thus we act or become lazy. The Greeks have a name for this: Akrasia. It means 'lacking command' or 'weakness of the will'. Akrasia is described as a lack of self-control, or the state of acting against one's better judgement.
Audio of Akrasia (Music by Chinmaya Dunster – New Moon)
Audio Player
00:0000:01
We have all experienced this form of procrastination. We have all good intentions to do one thing, yet somehow we find ourselves avoiding it and doing another! The Greek philosopher Socrates asks precisely how this is possible—if one judges action 'A' to be the best course of action, why would one do anything other than 'A'? A person, according to Socrates, never chooses to act poorly or against his better judgment; actions that go against what is best are only a product of being ignorant of facts or knowledge of what is best or good.
Socrates was right. Akrasia or, as it might be referred to, laziness, indolence or sloth is more complex than we might think. We often assume it's one's non-inclination to activity despite having the ability to act. That one has the potential, but is idle in applying it.
Yet, if we flip the coin, we would see that there is indeed another side to the tale. Perhaps akrasia or laziness is due to the fact that one is ignorant, doesn't know the facts, is not motivated enough and if not, the question that needs to be asked is why not?
If a person were ill in bed or physically disabled, we would not have the same expectations of them. Hence, akrasia is not a lack of ability, but a lack of eagerness and interest in applying the effort.
If one had to catch a 4am flight for a summer holiday, one would not only renounce sleep, but also be restless to arrive at the airport. The motivation would be a strong case for renouncing the sleep. In the same way, if we are not getting around to do the things we want to do, then why not? Look for the motivator. What would motivate you to do it? What would you attain? Weigh up the benefits.
For Aristotle, the antonym of akrasia is enkrateia which means 'in power' (over oneself). Aristotle believed that our actions rely on our opinions. If a person believes A to be better than B, then he will want to do A more than B. If he wants to do A more than B, then he will do A rather than B. He will act against his better judgement, making the action the product of opinion rather than reason.
There is something called the effort-motivation equation in which we are likely to put in only as much as effort as would motivate us to complete our goals. Cooking is one of those things. Unless you are an avid chef, you are likely to stand in the kitchen only enough time as it would take to prepare a basic meal. Hence what would determine the outcome of any action is how important the goal is and how motivated we are to achieve it.
Akrasia may be due to a lack of power. We often know what is the right thing to do; yet we lack the power in enforcing that action. Power comes from knowing what I need to do and why I need to do it. We call this purpose.
Power comes from knowing one's purpose, engaging one's will and creating a determined thought. Focusing on having good health and fitness would be a good purpose to concentrate on.
Another determinant in being motivated is how energetic we are. If we have just run a marathon, we would be less likely to feel like cleaning the house! In such cases, if we take time out, we should not feel guilty for doing so, we need to view it as a reward for our efforts, and to re-emerge from it as an enthusiast for the future.
Taking a holiday, break or a retreat would not be deemed lazy. In fact it gives us time to step back and reflect on our life and to set our direction, as weakening armies did in past times.
It's Time… to move away from akrasia and into enkrataeia. Understanding what is the right thing to do and finding a strong enough motivation to actually do it. In this way we eliminate laziness and sloth, and live with purpose. ( BK Aruna Ladva)
Posted By OKWUDIRI STRAIGHTMAN NWALI for PROUDSTARS.BLOGSPOT.COM.
