In college, I could sense that some people felt they had a good time if they got drunk. Many people could tell that they had invested their time, their money and their swallowing machinery in getting a number of beers into their bodies. The effort that was put into getting drunk showed they had a good time.
In a similar way, effort of all sorts often mesmerizes people. They try and then they try harder. Trying harder is an investment and they invest their effort to achieve a goal. Once they have tried hard, they more or less commit themselves, often unthinkingly, to the goal.
There is a gambler's fallacy that says,"I have lost so much in this game that I need to stay and gamble some more to win at least some of it back." But in order to gamble further, still more must be put at risk and may also be lost.
Kenny Rogers tells us in his song "The Gambler":
You've got to know when to hold 'em
Know when to fold 'em
Know when to walk away
And know when to run
You never count your money
When you're sittin' at the table
There'll be time enough for countin'
When the dealin's done
I am a fan of deep effort and its payoffs and penalties. I am fascinated by the possibility of getting locked onto an effort, maybe one that is actually impossible. If I were to say to myself that I am confident that if I try hard enough, long enough and in a sufficiently steady manner, I can find a way to make 3 objects plus 2 more objects equal 6 objects.
No tricks. Not like the kings' wager described in "The Broken Dice" by Ivan Ekeland, in which two Scandinavian kings tossed dice to decide a wager or a war. The first one tossed two 6's while gloating that no better outcome was possible and advising the other to concede. However, the second king did not and tossed. One of the die's fractured and showed a 6 and a 1 while the other die showed a 6, summing 13.
No, in my case, I determine to count carefully, to wish real hard, to concentrate deeply and see if my heartfelt, pure effort can make 2 objects and 3 objects total 6 objects. To paraphrase Sir Galahad, because my heart is pure, my luck should be stunning. You can see the problem. If the task is truly impossible but I won't let it go, I am doomed to misery and failure. Of course, with a little imaginative thinking, I may be able to modify the task or the goal and strongly increase the probability of success. How about if I say that I want to find 3 objects and 2 more making a total of 5?
On the other hand, long, arduous effort, crazy effort, way-over-the-top effort does pay off sometimes. Personally, I try to farm out my energy wisely but I admit that I can get locked onto a cause and just keep trying. Sometimes, it feels good to simply keep at it.
--
Bill
Main blog: Fear, Fun and Filoz
Main web site: Kirbyvariety
