I enjoy thinking about what causes the differences in personalities. Yesterday, I created a new classification based on my logic. Let’s talk about it.
How to live well
I wanted to know why my nature is different from those around me. I could not live the same way as they did. I have always found it hard to live. In other words, I had to find my way to live.
However, discovering my way of living was not easy. There was no precedent.
That made me pursue the personality logic that explains human differences. Logic allows us to predict something unknown. It would tell me how to live well. That is why I love thinking about the logic of personalities.
Yesterday, I realized a new mental theory that can express more accurately than my previous classification. Today, I will introduce it. This logic might allow you to understand how to manage your mind.
Instincts and reason
In my new mental theory, I classify people into those with strong instincts and those with weak ones. The more powerful instincts someone has, the more he needs reason. Otherwise, he will be exhausted from being driven by strong impulses.
To explain that, let’s look at what influences our individuality.
There are two kinds of judging functions, as follows:
- Instincts are wants that improve our lives. They are innate—biological and genetically determined. Examples are appetite and sleep desire. Despite those varieties, all life has instincts.
- Reason controls instincts to cooperate with society. Social animals require well-organized reason. Philosophy is the collection of specific reasons that are adapted to each society. It is acquired, so we have to learn it.
Based on that, we assume there are two types of people, as follows:
- People with strong instincts need sophisticated reason. They are easy to live individually, but they often find it difficult to live in society. Developing reason enables them to live in harmony with society and with low stress.
- People with weaker instincts don’t need much reason. They are easy to live with in society but difficult to live as individuals.
How to manage instincts
These classifications tell us why we have to develop our own philosophy.
We have strong instincts, which drive us to improve our lives. It means we are fundamentally energetic people.
However, intense individual desires make it difficult to live in society. That often makes us struggle between our wants and social values. That is why we naturally come to desire independence.
If we are logical, we cannot rely on social teachings. This is because we are the minority.
There are two ways to control our instincts, as follows:
- Developing the habit of following rules and authorities: This is for non-logical people. Major schools, prisons, and correctional facilities teach this way.
- Developing a philosophy that prevents mental exhaustion: This is for logical people. This is not taught in school.
Logical people can understand and change their behaviors only by being taught rationally. However, unfortunately, such systematic logical teaching is scarce. That is why we often have a difficult, exhausting life when we are logical and have intense instincts.
A strategy to live well
That shows us the strategy to live well: developing our own philosophy that calms our stress.
Since we naturally have strong instincts that drive us to improve our lives, we don’t need additional mental strength and motivation. We should be aware that we already have enough energy.
It means we don’t need philosophy for our activities. For example, we don’t have to pursue the meaning of life that makes us more energetic.
We can already find a lot of meaning in our activities. A typical example is an inferiority complex. We become passionate about any activity, even if it doesn’t suit our nature. This is because we can easily identify its meaning. We are already abundant and proficient in terms of seeking meaning.
What we lack is a philosophy for relaxation. Our suffering is all due to exhaustion. Think of why we want more money, health, energy, motivation, relationships, and skills. The root of these wants is simple: we want a peaceful life. It is for relaxation.
It doesn’t mean being more patient. Relaxation is something that frees us from stress. On the other hand, patience forces us to bear strain.
In other words, our instincts naturally activate us. That is why we consciously calm ourselves down. Developing philosophy allows us to control our abundant energy. That balances our lives.
Conclusion
That is how to manage our minds.
The more powerful instincts we have, the more sophisticated reason we need. What we lack is a philosophy for relaxation.
This logic might allow you to understand how to manage your mind.
Thank you for reading this article. I hope to see you in the next one.
