"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
This quote from Emerson comes from his essay, "Self-Reliance," which in the essay's title itself reveals the wisdom within the famous quote: Foolish consistency in this context is a kind of mindless state (habit) that supports herd behavior and group-think; it is conformity, it is mindlessness, it is inauthentic, it is ultimately self-defeating, and it is normal. But normal is not healthy...
The self-reliant person is not necessarily someone who resists crowds or abhors outsourcing certain tasks to others--an island unto oneself, if you will--but rather a person who does not fall into sheepish behavior.
Here are a few general examples of 'foolish consistency' for context:
- Continuing a certain behavior because "that's the way it's always been done."
- Following the paved road of conventional wisdom for fear of following (and possibly failing in) your own path.
- Choosing a career path that pays well with little or no consideration for how the career aligns with your personal priorities, passions and skills.
- Failing to look at ideas from a different perspective because they don't match your pre-conceived (and possibly distorted) views of the world.
As author Richard Brodie says in his recent top-selling book, Virus of the Mind, "the hobgoblin of little minds" is "what keeps people from making the most of their lives." In different words, the hobgoblin is an absence of mind--an absence of self, an absence of consciousness.
"Not choice, but habit rules the unreflecting herd." ~ William Wordsworth
To defeat the 'hobgoblin of little minds' one must be aware of their tendency to fall into the lazy and mindless habit of conforming to conventional thought and behavior. For most people it is a matter of deconstructing and unlearning what you've learned.
This can be done by reflecting upon your daily activities and by discovering which ideas, thoughts and behaviors are not your own -- it is deprogramming and reprogramming your mind. Why do I continue to hold this losing stock? Why have I always voted for the same political party? Am I trying to please others and never pleasing myself? If I were born in a different country or to a different family or in a different time, would I think and feel the same about things? Is there more than one side of the truth -- more than one perspective?
How do you know? Now go and find out...
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Related:
Mind vs Brain Part III: Habits of the Reflective Mind
The Paradox of Habit Part III: Discovering the New Shore of Authenticity
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