Skip to main content

Inside the Box

Boxes. Things I've learned about people and their boxes.  The box metaphor for thought is well described and most appropriate.  Most people do live in some kind of box, though few will admit it.

  • a. Some people cannot think outside the box; moreover they can't think inside the box either.
  • b. Before one can think out of the box, he/she must first learn to think inside it. 
  • c. Some people think only inside the box. Indeed, they live in their box with the lid tightly closed.
  • A thought-box is a shield from unwanted ideas and thoughts. It protects and maintains a personal security. For many, it is a needed construct for day-to-day living. It provides the type of life assurance only babies have.
  • Some people construct a big, a huge box for thinking. It resembles a cathedral, with a foundation and floor, with walls, with buttresses, topped off with a cupola, and protected by a wide moat. This makes their thought free from assault by new ideas or even old ideas. Usually, there are no windows. Once constructed, they become prisoners within it - for life.
  • Many people limit their thinking to the box best described as a catechism. It covers all needed arguments and counter arguments. It is one of the most secure boxes. It is safe, almost free from siege. They are safe within their mainstream of consciousness and free from outside alternatives.
  • Many people that live in the box deny or reject there are other boxes. Intercommunication between two boxes is impossible.
  • Box thinkers are often smug believing they have discovered the ultimate box, i.e. the truth.
  • Box thinkers don't take intellectual risks. Box thinkers fear risks.
  • There are liberal and conservative box-thinkers. They don't talk much to each other.
  • However much you think you think outside the box, all your thoughts are contained in the bigger box, the capacities or sandbox of your brain.
  • You are not thinking outside the box if all you achieve is a small variation or addition to something well within the box. 
  • "New" does not imply "outside the box"  thinking.  It doesn't imply good.  It doesn't imply worthwhile.  Just "new" has little merit in itself. 
On the plus side of all this, thinking inside the box is thinking within a stable environment. It creates a predictable world where eventualities can be calculated and considered. Thinking outside the box creates a “newness” of unknown implications and unknown possibilities.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Please Comment.

Popular posts from this blog

UNCERTAINTY IS CERTAIN

  Uncertainty is Certain G. Donald Allen 12/12/2024 1.       Introduction . This short essay is about uncertainty in people from both secular and nonsecular viewpoints. One point that will emerge is that randomly based uncertainty can be a driver for religious structure. Many groups facing uncertainty about their future are deeply religious or rely on faith as a source of comfort, resilience, and guidance. The intersection of uncertainty and religiosity often stems from the human need to find meaning, hope, and stability in the face of unpredictable or challenging circumstances. We first take up the connections of uncertainty to religion for the first real profession, farming, noting that hunting has many similar uncertainties. Below are groups that commonly lean on religious beliefs amidst uncertainty.   This short essay is a follow-up to a previous piece on certainty (https://used-ideas.blogspot.com/2024/12/certainty-is-also-emotion.html). U...
Post a Comment
Read more

CERTAINTY IS ALSO AN EMOTION

  Certainty is also a Feeling Certainty is often viewed as a mental state tied to knowledge and confidence, but it also functions as a feeling with distinct emotional and physiological components. While it arises from cognitive processes, certainty also has a subjective and emotional quality that makes it more than just a rational judgment. It provides a sense of assurance and security that shapes human experience in profound ways. Emotional Dimension . At its core, certainty evokes emotions that influence how we perceive and interact with the world. When someone feels certain, they often experience relief, comfort, or empowerment. These emotions are particularly strong when uncertainty or doubt is resolved, offering a sense of closure. For example, solving a complex problem or having a belief validated by evidence brings not just intellectual satisfaction but also emotional reassurance. Subjectivity. Certainty is inherently personal and subjective. It depends on individual...
Post a Comment
Read more

Lies, Deceit, and the National Agenda

The world you grew up in is no more.  The world of reasonable honesty and reasonable lies has been replaced by abject dishonesty and blatant lies. Lies.  Yes. People have always told them.  You have told them; so have I.   We need lies; they are a foundational structure of social living.  They both deceive and protect.  Children tell them to their parents to avoid consequences, like punishment.  Adults tell them to their bosses, to enhance their position and/or avoid consequences of poor performance.  Our bosses tell them to their boards to suggest business is good, the project is on target, or the detractors are wrong.  The boards tell them to shareholders to protect their own credibility and most importantly, stock values.   Our politicians tell lies to their constituents, though sometimes innocently with them not actually knowing much more than they've been told.  They enhance their positio...
2 comments
Read more