These days, when irrationality is
frequently predicated as the only way to go, it is important to
remind yourself of the massive benefits you can draw from rational
living.
How often do you hear that you should
trust your emotions blindly? Or that you only need to believe
something on order to make it true? Or that you cannot be sure of
anything because the veracity of facts depends on the viewer's
standpoint?
The problem with relativism and
subjectivism is that, in addition to rendering you hesitant and
ineffective, they can also make you poor, sick, and conflict-prone.
Let me illustrate these risks while I present the advantages of
rational living.
Speed is the first difference you will
remark if you compare rational and irrational individuals. And by
“irrational,” I don't mean stupid. What I mean is wildly
emotional, confused, and erratic. People who trust their emotions
more than they trust facts can only maintain their course of action
for a while, that is, until their emotions change, something that
might happen next week, the next day, or the next hour.
Without the consistency provided by
rationality, you will only be able to advance towards your goals
slowly, if at all, because, with every change of mood, your direction
will also change.
Rationality enables speed because it helps individuals keep going on their chosen direction day after day. Over time, such constancy will allow them to cover long distances so fast that it seems inconceivable. Conversely, slowness is the way of life for wildly emotional persons because their erratic behaviour prevents them from going far in any direction.
2. Self-confidence
2. Self-confidence
Self-confidence is also something that
you will immediately perceive when you deal with rational
individuals. In contrast to the endless hesitations of
emotionally-driven people, rational persons can establish their goals
on the basis of facts, and make their plans on the basis of logic. An
orderly thinking process provides rational men and women a strong
determination to succeed.
If confronted with opposition, rational
people don't fall apart. If faced with obstacles, they don't give up.
If hit by misfortune, they don't despair. Their self-confidence
is based on a realistic assessment of their possibilities, an
assessment that entails the acceptance of occasional errors,
adversity, and setbacks.
In contrast to emotionally-driven
people, rational individuals can confidently keep advancing towards
their goals because they know that steady, focused work will lead to
beneficial results, if given enough time.
The ability to create wealth is
quintessential to rational individuals. Wildly emotional people may
occasionally come up with brilliant ideas, but their erratic
personality will prevent them to bringing those ideas to fruition.
Irrational people may conceive
grandiose plans, but their inconsistent behaviour will prevent them
from implementing them. They may now and then propose compelling
projects, but their irregular efforts will not suffice to turn those
projects into reality.
Only rational men and women can exert
the sort of sustained, consistent efforts that create wealth, and
enable wise investments.
A good health (or at least, better that it would have
been otherwise) goes hand in hand with
rational living because only rational individuals possess the
self-discipline to eat sensibly, exercise regularly, and get
sufficient rest each night.
Rational men and women commit
themselves to a sensible lifestyle, and strive to stay healthy. They
follow a sensible diet because they understand the dangers of
overindulgence. They go to bed on time because they grasp the risks
of overexerting themselves.
In contrast, wildly emotional people
tend to be addicted to low-quality food, risky activities, and
burning the candle on both sides. Such habits can cause tremendous
harm to one's health in the long term.
Last but not least, I want to mention
an aspect that you will rarely hear anyone mention: Irrational people
tend to be conflict-prone, that is, vociferous, hurtful, and
self-centred. By putting their emotions on the driving seat, they
often fail to pay attention to what other people say and feel.
Contrary to what many movies portray,
emotionally-driven persons tend to lack empathy because empathy
requires the willingness to analyse the context of problems. While
rational individuals go to great lengths to have harmonious
relationships, irrational people, due to their lack of perspective,
will often provoke unnecessary clashes.
In conclusion, your commitment to
rational living (starting with the adoption of a rational philosophy)
can deliver you large advantages. The efforts you exert to develop
your prudence, self-reliance and thoughtfulness can enable you to
make faster and better decisions, and help you implement them
effectively. Rationality is an invaluable asset, which
especially in times of adversity, can make the difference between a
glorious victory and a painful defeat.
Text: http://johnvespasian.blogspot.com
Image: photograph of classical building; photograph taken by John Vespasian, 2016.
For more information about rational living, I refer you to my books
Free subscription to The John Vespasian Letter
Here is the link to a media interview, just published:
- John Vespasian interviewed by Adam Hommey on "The Business Creators" (USA) about rational living.
