On Fri, Jun 21, 2013 at 10:10 PM, Deepa Mohan <[email protected]> wrote: > I wrote this some time ago....someone else referred to it on FB recently > (yes...a woman.) What makes us detest certain subjects at school, and why > is Maths (or Math) frequently at the top of the list? It can't always be > bad teachers.... > > http://deponti.livejournal.com/902082.html
It becomes very simple if we see it all as energy conservation. Evolution optimized us to be lazy - not absolutely of course, but relative to our comfort zone. There are no exceptions, everyone is lazy. Regardless of whether it is a physical, emotional or mental activity; anything that uses up energy is executed with meticulous planning by our body keeping in mind the available energy budget. Comfort zones or in other words, the limit of the energy budget varies from person to person. A fat and out of shape man might find a couple of floors of stairs daunting and might wait 10-15 minutes for the elevator. A literary critic might read several books a day, while most people will barely finish one book a year. Some can share their feelings or display love and affection quite easily, and others can be reserved and reticent emotionally. Our comfort zone is a result of our environment and training. We all hit our energy budget somewhere, but those with the right intentional training or the right environmental training know how to keep going. Climbing a mountain is nothing for one who lives in the hills, reading books is nothing for someone surrounded by them from an early age and speaking about their emotions is easier for those who weren't lonely children. When unaided by the environment, going beyond the energy budget for the first time requires motivation. Your motivation may vary. For those with a strong self improvement desire - like Thaths, seeing the logical connection with applications might be the key to expending mental energy. For others it could be desire to succeed, or please a parent or teacher, or something else. So we see people who do ridiculous things all the time with the right motivation and training. Maths is hated because it is like running, it uses ridiculous amounts of energy. Expert meditators can produce deep compassion and happiness that eludes most humans due to their training of their emotions. So emotional, mental and physical factors are all trainable with the right motivation. Of course, all are not equal, some are genetically gifted or blighted. The role of all teachers, parents and leaders is to motivate, train and lead. Loving parents produce children who can love, and be kind; inspiring teachers produce great students, and leaders who place their followers and the cause ahead of themselves produce great loyalty.
