I read this interview on a day I had dealt with some aggravating stuff including a guy in pickup truck trying to mow us down in rage as we were out on our walk. He got off the driveway and over the curb and charged at us all because we declined his request for using my cellphone. We called the police, provided enough information to hopefully stop this demented individual before he caused serious harm to people.
.. becoming more self-aware made you less creative. I said no, it makes you more creative but less productive...Because you become less driven. The neuroses and anxieties that make you driven become reduced.
Back to the interview, lot of little gems all around. This one, I thought was very poignant:
I can't claim I know this to be true by personal experience. There was a certain level of manic energy I once had fueled by misplaced anger at people and events they were part of. I believed that was the source of all my troubles. So part of that energy was expended in proving the naysayers wrong. The remaining was spent trying to sever ties with the rest. Both bad and stupid ideas to say the least. However, one of the beneficial side effects was that it allowed me to work hard at useful goals. So once I was able to see the error of my ways, I was left with some good that served me well.
Back to the guy in the car, maybe his life had crashed and burned around him exactly at the time he saw us walking by. Maybe something about us served as a trigger and he wanted to engage aggressively. Maybe he did not have anyone tell him that “Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.” But he is definitely driven by his anxieties and neuroses at a level that is harmful to society. If therapy could reduce his drive and "productivity" the world would be well served.
Comments