Up@dawn 2.0

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

The Shower and the Summit

One of the first things to accept when studying psychology is that everyone you meet may be an exception to the rule; there are broad generalizations because of this, and many classifications tend to be extremes of the poles whereas individuals tend to fall somewhere in between. Introversion and extraversion, for example, are becoming better known by the general population. I propose philosophy is in the same boat as psychology, but it takes a philosopher longer to realize it, if at all.

It seems many great thinkers came to the conclusion that by walking one will eventually arrive at a “Eureka! Moment" or a similar sort of revelation; however, some modern thinkers seem to be wheezing before they get to the mailbox. Maybe their best ideas come from standing in the shower, as many have reported? There is a science to that (http://bit.ly/1jjWXMD), and for those who become too stressed by the temperature du jour or the stirring wildlife, the bathroom is far preferable to the tall hill leading to another Eureka Moment that may be locked away by layers of sweat and tense muscle. Stepping into the shower is just a different way to trek across the hillside.


I have come to the conclusion that there are extraverted philosophers (peripatetics) and introverted philosophers (shower thinkers). Everyone either falls somewhere between the two poles or is an exception to the rule, and the way one thinks is no different; psychology and philosophy are practically cousins. For some, ideas come at the summit and go down the drain. Others find revelation at the showerhead and lose more than their breath at the crest. Luckily, many of us fall somewhere in between and have no need to fear losing our best ideas to one choice or the other; we can instead take our pick and trust that regardless of our location great ideas will not be far behind.

Christian Brooks, H3
28 September 2016

1 comment:

  1. I am not a big walker so this essay is something I want to blast at the PW book. Each person is a product of something different. I believe that walking was something that may be freeing for those back in time, but time has changed and with that the people have as well. If we were to remain the same as them with the same ways, would we ever have new thinking?

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