Recently, I have discussed a new concept I call minimalism in thinking. Today, I will introduce symbols that visualize our mental states.
How to understand our mental state more easily
Sometimes, we want to understand our mental state easier, especially when we cannot stop an inner conflict.
An example is a double bind. Imagine the situation: we want to quit our exhausting jobs but don’t have enough money. To quit our jobs, we have to work to earn enough money, but it exhausts us. Caught between two contradictory desires, we cannot do anything but maintain the current situation.
We often experience similar situations like this. For example, we might want to buy something but hesitate to waste money. We might wish to stop associating with unpleasant people but be afraid of the loss. Perhaps you have experienced those conflicts many times.
We want to stop our inner conflicts. That is why we want to understand our mental state. In other words, we want to clear our mental confusion. If we have well-organized minds, we can decide soon, including the option of postponing answering.
Understanding minimalism in thinking
In such cases, the concept of minimalism in thinking could help. It is the logic to clean our messy minds.
However, it was a little complicated.
To make it simpler to understand, I will introduce symbols to visualize our mental states. They might allow us to understand our mental states and make decisions.
Thinking tools to solve problems
Minimalism in thinking is a logic that reduces unnecessary, confusing ways of thinking. In this concept, there are several thinking tools, as follows:
- (The simplest) Logic is the simplest thinking tool. We solve problems according to the mechanism of the problem’s system.
- Ways of life are the next simplest thinking tools. We solve problems by philosophy—balancing two contradictory aspects inside us.
- Ways of thinking are the more specific thinking tools. We solve problems with individual rules.
- (The more specific) Other specific techniques are more particular ones with restricted conditions.
They have pros and cons.
The higher level (the simple side) we rely on, the simpler we can decide without confusion or conflicts. However, it requires logical sense.
On the other hand, the lower level (the more specific side) we use, the more easily we can solve problems without logical thinking. However, it often confuses us because we have to memorize many case-by-case methods.
Symbols of thinking tools
Knowing these thinking tools tells us how to solve our mental conflicts, so let’s look at them with symbols.
The symbol of logic (one element)
The symbol of logic is a whole circle, although the above image smiles. There is no other element but one cause. It is the simplest thinking tool.
Since we don’t use this in this article, let’s ignore this.
The symbol of ways of life (two elements)
The symbol of ways of life is yin and yang. It is a symbol of Taoism.
It indicates that they are contradictory but inseparable. The yin is the shadow side. The yang is the light side. They are opposites. However, each has the other element inside it, and they are one with two.
It tells us there is no good or bad, nor right or wrong. Balancing brings stability. Remember, they are not simply black and white.
The symbol of ways of thinking (three elements)
The symbol of ways of thinking is the three divisions.
These divisions indicate case-by-case methods. In other words, each area implies a rule on how to deal with that case.
Identifying which division the current problem belongs to makes it easier to solve. However, the more subdivided these areas are, the more confused we become. This is because it is hard to specify which area the current problem belongs to.
This is why learning so many trivial tips, like ‘100 tips for happiness,’ often confuses us and leads to a double bind.
The symbol of a double bind (one form of ways of thinking):
The symbol of a double bind is a circle that is clearly divided into black and white. This is another form of the symbol of ways of thinking. Usually, it has three or more divisions. However, a double bind has only two, even though it belongs to ways of thinking.
When we are in a deadlock, we think like this.
Why a deadlock occurs
Let me explain why a deadlock occurs.
When we want to obtain something or solve a problem, we often think based on ways of thinking. We strategize by dividing several cases, identifying which case the current problem is in, and thinking of how to deal with it. That is the process of creating a strategy. Perhaps dividing the problem into three or four cases is appropriate.
However, when we are in a deadlock, we overly simplify the cases until two. That causes a deadlock.
One example is the problem of money and a job I introduced at the beginning of this article. The white area is the rule of ‘I have to quit my job to escape stress.’ On the other hand, the black area is the rule of ‘I have to save money as much as possible to live; I have to continue to my job.’
Comparing them is no longer a strategy. It is just a contradiction. That makes us unable to solve it, no matter how much we consider.
The meaning of three
In other words, we have to stop at three elements when we try to simplify a strategy. Three elements are the minimum necessary to find relatively strong and weak areas.
Reducing until two means we simplify them to the level of ways of life. In this case, both are fundamental to our lives. Naturally, those cons require too large sacrifices to choose.
On the other hand, if we stop at three elements, there are relatively strong and weak parts. It means we can find areas where we can sacrifice easier.
That is why strategy requires at least three divisions. Reducing to two is no longer a viable strategy.
The solution of a double bind
We can understand that a wrong way of simplification causes a double bind. Simplifying the case distinctions into two usually ends up in a double bind.
To solve this double bind, we have to simplify toward the ways of life, as I explained in the previous article (this article). If we make those rules contradictory but inseparable, we can balance them instead of choosing one side. That allows us to proceed to the next stage of life. We will naturally head toward independence if we have unique individuality.
Adding a new element would also be a way. For example, we can add free time to the problem of money and a job. The three elements—money, a job, and free time—allow us to think strategically.
However, it will not work in many cases. This is because we are already too exhausted to think about complexity. In other words, exhaustion destroys complex strategies. That often drives us to a desperate strategy that requires a significant sacrifice, like a live-or-death tactic in war.
Conclusion
They are the symbols to visualize our mental states.
When we get stuck in a deadlock or a double bind, try imagining the black and white symbol and convert it into the yin and yang.
That might allow us to clarify our mental states and make decisions.
Thank you for reading this article. I hope to see you in the next one.
