That’s a fair point. I should elaborate on the concept of stagnation, to avoid giving people the wrong impression about it.
Stagnation is the fundamental liability defined by predictable limitations on people’s motivations.
Like the other liabilities, stagnation is also an intrinsic aspect of conscious existence as we know it. Predictable motivations are what allow us to have identity, as individuals and as groups. Identity and stagnation are two sides of the same coin—stagnation is just what we call it when it interferes with what we otherwise want.
Our identities should not become prisons, not only because that prevents us from dealing with other liabilities but also because part of being conscious is not knowing everything about ourselves. Choice is another aspect of consciousness, the flip side of conflict, defined by what we don’t already know about our motivations. Part of our existence is not always being able to predict which goal will triumph over other goals, either within a person or between different people.
In short, it seems to me that we should make sure we never lose the ability to surprise ourselves. When we know everything about what we will want in the future, then we lose an important part of what makes us conscious beings. Does that make more sense?
That’s a fair point. I should elaborate on the concept of stagnation, to avoid giving people the wrong impression about it.
Stagnation is the fundamental liability defined by predictable limitations on people’s motivations.
Like the other liabilities, stagnation is also an intrinsic aspect of conscious existence as we know it. Predictable motivations are what allow us to have identity, as individuals and as groups. Identity and stagnation are two sides of the same coin—stagnation is just what we call it when it interferes with what we otherwise want.
Our identities should not become prisons, not only because that prevents us from dealing with other liabilities but also because part of being conscious is not knowing everything about ourselves. Choice is another aspect of consciousness, the flip side of conflict, defined by what we don’t already know about our motivations. Part of our existence is not always being able to predict which goal will triumph over other goals, either within a person or between different people.
In short, it seems to me that we should make sure we never lose the ability to surprise ourselves. When we know everything about what we will want in the future, then we lose an important part of what makes us conscious beings. Does that make more sense?