Rigor vs. Tentativeness

 

There is a difference between rigorous deliberation and overthinking. 

"The idiots ruin everything through overthinking."
— Elisha Long

"When you think twice you double lose."
— Elisha Long

It is not the distinction between thinking and doing; it is the distinction between thinking that terminates in action, and thinking that substitutes for action. This does not condone the "opposite" of overthinking, rashness.

Alexander did not win battles by saying, "screw it, send it" and charging in headlong. He won battles with solid and ingenious plans, that did "survive first contact", and even survived an utter lack of communication across a miles-wide battle front. He planned thoroughly, but he did not suffer from analysis paralysis like so many moderns; he did not subject himself and others to his own inaction. He subjected the world, the very ends of the earth, to his kardia, thumos, and dynamis. Kardia, the heart, the source of one's emotion, love, passions, etc., thumos, the "spiritedness" and the breath of a human or a stallion (Bucephalus the untamable, for example), and dynamis, one's power, ability, and capability. Alexander, in a spirited manner, and filled with passion, made use of all of his powers - of ingenious strategy both military and political, and of his immense capabilities as a soldier and commander of men.

"It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that they are difficult."
— Seneca

"If you wish to be a writer, write."
— Epictetus

"My thinking is first and last and always for the sake of my doing."
— William James

Solomon condemns both rashness and slothfulness. He encourages diligence instead; when you picture someone who is "diligent", what do you see in your mind's eye? Someone sitting frozen in anxiety, wracking their brain? A diligent worker is not someone who doesn't get anything done because they think so much; a diligent worker gets plenty done, and gets it done correctly, by taking a well-thought-out action, and iterating on the proper execution of it.

"Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise."
— Proverbs 6:6

"How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep?"
— Proverbs 6:9

"The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty."
— Proverbs 21:5

Perhaps the greatest driver of anxiety and fear in planning is uncertainty. Solomon doesn't sidestep this. While encouraging diligence, he also addresses the inscrutable sovereignty of God.

"The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps."
— Proverbs 16:9

You make the plans, God makes the way. God has predestined events from eternity past, and yet at the same time, you plan and choose. You make the plan, you act, a curveball comes. Do you weep because your plan failed? No, you fix the plan and keep going without feeling bad for yourself. And ideally, you build contingencies into the plan at the start.

"Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth."
— Proverbs 27:1

"The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe."
— Proverbs 29:25

Elisha long's "Retardmaxxing" is refreshing because it runs in a separate vein than the post-enlightenment empiricist social science that dominates behavioral discussions and self-help books today. He doesn't say, "studies suggest that hyper-fixation on planning tends to be detrimental to mental, financial, health outcomes.", or "your brain is wired to...". There is no Behavioral analysis leading to cognitive behavioral intervention. There is a behavioral statement, a character conclusion, and an imperative; "you overthink things. This is cowardly. Stop."

James Clear says, "If you can make it easy to accomplish your new behavior, then you will do it more frequently and it will become a habit." while Marcus Aurelius says:

"Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one."
— Marcus Aurelius

My "protocol" written in May has held up - for the physical portion, I had been running casually since the prior September, trying to make it to a few Jiu Jitsu classes a week, and getting a lift in once or twice a week. Throw a bike ride in every couple of days. No plan for diet, just pick some generally high protein options when available. In May, I spent a few hours planning with Claude. I sifted through studies, meta-analyses, and peer-reviewed papers to see what the most efficient and sustainable way to exercise would be. I planned a path. I was already executing, but wanted to do it better.

"While we are postponing, life speeds by."
— Seneca, On the Shortness of Life

For the intellectual and spiritual portions, I had already been generally focusing on using my listening hours (commute, running, gym, etc.) for audiobooks instead of music, but was reading lots of fiction books amidst a smattering of random non-fiction religious and history books. With a general goal of understanding classical history and western/church history better, I deliberated back and forth with Claude regarding preferences and generated a list of books that I wanted to listen through, then started listening to them.

No self-congratulations here. I am simply saying that when you read my posts where I lay out a plan, you are not reading mere plans, and you are not reading wistful pontifications or new years resolutions. You are reading plans that are course-corrections amidst action, based on convictions. In the words of Shia Labouef (spelling?)

"Just do it".

I have linked the studies and metanalyses in the original document, explaining the outcomes of individual training methodologies. But empirically observed outcomes cannot make philosophical or teleological mandates. They cannot tell you what human flourishing is, only that "X number of people self-reported greater satisfaction when they did Y." They cannot tell you, at the end of the day, why you should exercise. Better physical fitness outcomes leading to a longer, healthier life does not explain whether a longer life is preferable, or to what extent that remains true. It does not explain what health is, or why you should pursue it.

"You could leave life right now. Have that determination in your heart."
— Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

I give you an account of one increasingly flourishing human, not twelve studies suggesting that a given behavioral intervention may correlate with increased subjective well-being. Diligent action stands tall above both rashness and paralysis.