• All sight
    333
    It is of course explained in many ways, and the idea is that discipline will eventually lead to virtue being second nature, but why is it such a struggle? Just the effects of established habits that need breaking? Why can we hate the things we do, and continue to do them? Why is changing at the status of near legend?

    Original sin, karma. In some sense this is obviously true, we teach our children our bad habits, or they even get them inherited genetically and epigenetically, so that before they reach a level of self-consciousness necessary to see the error, it is already deeply instilled, perhaps it had grown in fertile soil for generations before detection, or attempts to weed it out. Seems so damn unfair...

    I think that willpower isn't just force, or simply making oneself do something. There is some level of negotiation, and belief involved. I'm plagued with nightmares a lot of time, for whatever reason. The other night I had a couple back to back but my dream persona's reaction to them surprised me. In one case, I was walking on a wooded path, when a bear, about the size of a polar bear, but for some reason colored like a leopard began barreling down on me. I looked around, saw that there was nothing I could really do, so just kind of accepted it, and thought "well, time to get mauled by an animal capable of decapitating a moose in one hit... hope I live". I had a feeling of dread, and near hopelessness, but not really fear. Then I had a dream where I was at a gym, and got into an argument with someone, and then when I left, I noticed them crouched across the street, and when they saw me, they stood and pointed a gun at me. This time I immediately turned and ran, but had some distance to clear, and with my back to them, attempting to ran somewhat erratically I just couldn't help but think that I could easily make that shot, and was deeply afraid. Though, I have to say that I felt more hope of escape, and less sure of my mortal injury in the second case, yet far more fear as I attempted to avoid it. I find that strange.

    I wonder how much hope goes into willpower. The former case seems by all accounts worse to me, yet I didn't even attempt to do anything about it. Rather than willpower, I wonder how much actually has to do with our evaluations of what is possible and expected, what will be difficult, and what will be easy, long before we even attempt anything.

    What do you suppose? Do some people have more willpower than others? Or do they actually just have different beliefs and evaluations?
  • Metaphysician Undercover
    13.2k
    I wonder how much hope goes into willpower.All sight

    I think willpower is completely based in hope. Hope is what drives ambition and ambition is what feeds willpower. Without hope there is nothing to support willpower.

    Do some people have more willpower than others?All sight

    Of course, we all have different dispositions, and therefore different forms of hope, and different degrees of willpower.
  • All sight
    333


    Thanks for the reply! I think so too. Hope is the real fuel, and "willpower" is just what it looks like from the outside, I think.
  • Belouie
    10


    Hi All sight,

    To answer your question, yes. I believe some people have more willpower than others. Additionally I think that belief plays a role in the amount of willpower someone possesses. I think a person’s level of belief is determined by their universal outlook on life.

    In my opinion, willpower, circumstances and belief all play into one another. I believe they all play into one another because they all have a common denominator, the Law of Attraction. The Law of Attraction states that you will attract into your life the things that you focus on. That is to say, the things upon which you choose to focus your thoughts and energy will come back to you.

    To elaborate, if you have a goal and you choose to focus on how you are making progress everyday towards the completion of these goals, you are much more likely to meet this goal than if you were to focus on how lofty and unrealistic it is.

    It should be noted that the law of attraction is not a shortcut to the universe. One cannot achieve completion of a goal simply by waking up each day and thinking “I’m going to do this today,” then proceed to make no progress towards the goal and still expect it to happen.

    Allow me to use an illuminating example. Let’s imagine a man named Gerald. Gerald has a test coming up at the end of the week. He was thinking about studying, however he just heard of this new thing called the Law of Attraction. He heard that if he only thinks positive thoughts, he doesn’t have to study. Gerald believes that the universe will reward him for his good vibrations. This is not how the law works. Gerald will still fail if he fails to prepare. However, if Gerald sets a goal to ace the test, focuses on it all week while he is studying, acknowledges that every time he studies he is making progress towards the completion of his goal, Gerald is infinitely more likely to ace the test.

    While some might say “well obviously if he studies all week and focuses on his goal of acing the test he is likelier to ace the test. The Law of Attraction had nothing to do with it.” This is where I would say some are wrong. This is where I would say willpower, belief and circumstances all play into each other via the Law of attraction.

    If Gerald didn’t have the willpower to sit down and grind out hours of studying, he wouldn’t have studied and he would’ve failed. If Gerald didn’t believe studying would help him ace the test, he would have not studied and he would’ve failed. Or perhaps Gerald is in circumstances which don’t allow him to study or believe in himself and he would be more likely to fail.
  • All sight
    333


    Doesn't hurt to be as shredded as Geralt either.

    Thanks a lot for the comment, I don't disagree with it, but that is the thing, per the law of attraction, that like attracts like, one already has to be of a certain constitution for one not to say "obviously that is insignificant", and be wrong. The law of attraction will be agreeable and comprehensible to those that already to some degree apprehend it through their lives, experiences, and constitutions, and is difficult to share, and explain to the wrong, wouldn't you agree?

    I have since changed my position somewhat since writing the OP. I've discovered some new things, gained some new ground. I don't disagree with your suggestions or explanations however, though I'm more concerned with how to dig a little deeper, as to why people would find this disagreeable, and be averse to it, and how to get it across when they do.

    This is why I have started to focus more on repentance, or renewal, or cleaning of the slate, which opens one's heart, as it were, to be more willing and able to let others into it.
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