In the previous article, I explained the difference between the senses used in ordinary and extraordinary situations. We can apply that concept to change our futures. I will talk about it today.
How to change our futures
Sometimes, we want to change our futures. There are many disgusting things, such as working long hours for something we are not interested in, relationships with people we don’t like, a lack of freedom, or the inability to live naturally. They often exhaust us.
We might want to live more freely and naturally. For example, we might want to live a more secluded life in the countryside. We might feel, “I don’t need social fame; I prefer a comfortable and peaceful life.”
However, we often don’t know how to change our futures. That sometimes makes us chase more socially valuable things, such as money, status, or human networks. Even though they cause us exhaustion, we don’t know how to create a peaceful life without them. That sometimes prevents us from changing.
Seeing the ordinary as extraordinary could be a way in that case. That might give us the ability to change our futures.
Two senses: empathy and logic
To explain the logic, let’s review the two senses I mentioned in the previous article (this article).
We have two senses if we have an innovative and empathic personality. They are as follows:
- Empathic sense: The sense to stabilize our or our surroundings’ minds. We use this sense to keep things as they are.
- Logical sense: The sense to change something. We use this sense to create new situations.
Empathy: to stabilize the current situation
We tend to be empathic in a stable environment or a powerless situation.
For example, if we were born into an unstable family where we were helpless, we tend to be too empathic. That often causes problems with empathy.
That empathy prevents us from changing. One typical example is to convince ourselves to do something we don’t like. In such times, we force ourselves to look for the good points. In other words, we are disguising our high stress with a small profit.
Empathy makes us lose our calmness when we activate it. It causes excitement or depression.
In other words, chasing empathic excitement is not good because empathy is a way to stabilize a situation. That means the ideal is a state in which we feel neither excited nor discouraged. We don’t have to force ourselves to stimulate them.
Empathy is a sense of stabilizing a situation.
Logical sense: to change something
On the other hand, we tend to be logical in an emergency or extraordinary situation. We can be calm in such a situation. Logical sense never gives us emotional reactions, such as excitement or depression. That allows us to change our behaviors without worrying.
For example, imagine we are on the Titanic. It is dinner time. Although many people don’t care, the ship seems slightly tilted. We remember feeling a strange vibration, like an earthquake, not long ago. We might feel something is wrong.
We know there is no such thing as absolute safety.
When we notice the possibility of the worst case, we cool off immediately because it is an emergency. Our logical sense begins to work. That drives us to confirm the situation and prepare for the future while considering our surroundings.
In such a situation, we can behave independently, no matter how much our surroundings don’t care about the worst case.
That allows us to change our behaviors and futures.
Seeing the ordinary as extraordinary
That nature tells us a way to change our futures.
We can recognize the ordinary as extraordinary. That calms our empathy and activates our logical sense.
Try suspecting that this is an extraordinary situation, like the Titanic case. Although many people don’t care about their strange lives, we can feel something is wrong.
For example, we can understand that it is nonsense for us to do a job we don’t like for long hours. Although many think it is normal, we can doubt it. We can work a few hours a day to earn money and then relax.
We can understand that there is no problem if we have a frugal nature and the ability to prepare for the future. The teaching “be patient and work” is for people with neither frugality nor worrying about the future.
Although many people believe it is normal, that doesn’t mean the way is right.
Thinking a secluded life is ordinary
Let’s assume we are in an extraordinary situation now. The current situation, including our past, is ridiculous. Our ideal life is normal.
For example, we can think that a secluded life in the countryside is ordinary and that the current disgusting situation is extraordinary. That will tell us we don’t have to stabilize the current situation because this situation is crazy for us.
Of course, we don’t like to conflict with our surroundings. That awareness allows us to find a way to part with them and begin a more comfortable life.
Logical sense gives us solid solutions
Our logical sense gives us solutions for it.
For example, they might say, “Living in the countryside costs money.” Our logical sense might tell us that it is not accurate. The accurate expression is “Living in the countryside in the same way as in the city will cost money.”
We don’t need much money to live in the countryside because we have plenty of time and can create with affordable materials.
In my case, I don’t need a dishwasher or dryer because I can wipe dishes with a dry cloth. I don’t need to buy prepared foods because I can cook them. I don’t have to spend money on distractions because I can relax at the nearby seaside. My ample time allows me to do them. In addition, I can meditate and enjoy those tasks.
They are logical judgments. Logical sense gave me such a life.
That is why we can change our futures. Our logical sense gives us solid solutions.
Conclusion
If we want to change our futures, seeing the ordinary as extraordinary could be a way.
That will activate our logical sense.
That might give us solid ways to change our futures.
Thank you for reading this article. I hope to see you in the next one.
