J o n

Good question.

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1. Most persons will have the initial urge to take something that is free. Yet Nothing is free. Some level of commitment is always required. Once that is clear, the type of person who is enticed by the “free” realizes the reality and cost of commitment, they are generally challenged, and that will cause alienation, and repulsion.

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This does not seem good, as this type of person may have more to gain from mental health services, And if such services were not free, may have even taking them up and follow through.

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2. Persons place more value, and hence manifest more commitment in something that is not free. Cost is one way to set up the committed frame of mind in a person that is required for them to actually be able to benefit from any such services received.

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It could be that Those who may need such services and have, or can spare no cash, may be offered other means to provide the commitment that will enable them to receive the value to be gained.

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3. So, Come to think of it, nothing that is “free” comes without cost.

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Fear should be a motivator of last resort, and generally not resorted to at all if possible.

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Fear does not seem, on the whole, to be a “good” motivator, that is, unless one is running away from a (figurative) lion... in which cases fear has likely already stepped out of the way in favor of action...

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My thoughts:

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1. F.E.A.R. - in use as as a motivator, is usually based on an illusion (False Expectations Appearing Real.) narratives, constructed by self or others, subject to all partial facts that narratives are. Some Laws can consist of such narratives.

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2. As a motivator, Fear can only pretend to control, as The moment fear as a motivator is removed, the original behavior generally resumes, or continues, now unsuppressed, in the open. The fear engendered behavior subsides when fear is removed.

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3. While fear is in place, attempting to motivate and control us, other behaviors suppressed by fear strive for outlet and may be as a result amplified, perhaps irrationally. This because fear is less a motivator, and more a suppressor.. the thing suppressed remains.

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4. Motivators other than fear (positive ones, based on good emotions or logic), are generally longer acting , self correcting, can be good habit forming, and the positive-engendered behaviors I find, continue long after the positive motivator is removed.

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5. I suspect that Evolutionarily, Fear came to exist to get one “out of” or away from perceived dangers. Statistically, that should be a good thing. Fear however, does not seem designed, evolved that is, to discourage behavior, but to encourages a rapid and inconsistent, but immediate response to perceived danger. So Called flight or fight. (See lion reference above)

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This may be why fear as a motivator for activities and behaviors that do not allow fight or flight as a response, are so stressful and damaging to individuals.. as are many things now in our “modern life”, where in some ways, we can neither run, nor can we hide.

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Above are some of my thoughts on why Fear is not a good motivator.

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How indeed.

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Knowledge of course implies understanding on some level, and is gained through seeking and observation, and ... well, understanding those observations. Understanding, which can constitute new knowledge, is gained through small paradigm shifts, as relationships, causes, effects, systems are theorized realized or understood through synthesis of knowledge, and understanding relationships between combinations of bits of knowledge.

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So, knowledge processed becomes understanding. Understanding, in some cases can be said to be wisdom.

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”Rainman” , The one in the movie, probably can be thought of as a person who is heavy on knowledge but light on understanding or wisdom.

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I suppose one could be a person of great wisdom, and if one did not continue to explore knowledge, current events, or expand understanding, one might then get to be too heavy in the wisdom department... but I’m hard-pressed to find example of that!

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So, How does one a balance between knowledge and, let us call it wisdom, understanding?

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The answer seems intuitive, perhaps obvious, but perhaps equally as difficult to achieve.

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Because the dance between knowledge and understanding of course, continues through our entire life, and it is that, a dance, and as in a dance one cannot actually remain in place, in one position, at One step in a Waltz, without going to the next.

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It seems than that a strategy must be developed in order to keep this balance up. perhaps habits, traditions, or a schedule which allows time in life for both gathering of knowledge, and contemplation, writing out that knowledge expanding on it, in order to turn some of that knowledge into wisdom and understanding.

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So we come back to a central theme, in Scott Peck’ book, the road less traveled, and that word is discipline. But the disciplines that one set up an exception to one’s life must be ones that in gender and allow directions that you wish to and she wants to go to unfold.

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So if one wants to mint wisdom out of knowledge, in the same way Rumpelstiltskin minted gold out of straw, one needs to set up the dance, set up the daily schedule examine results and make changes in order to optimize the process, not dwelling too long on one or the other part of it.

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Oh!

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But most important of all! Minting of wisdom out of knowledge is not a one-man job. No one is really a rumple still skin. I’ve noticed that real wisdom comes out of sharing of thoughts and ideas, and not sharing leads to real knowledge and wisdom, not just sitting in a quiet room or basement trying to improve understanding. Seems that for humans, we are engineered to need to bad ideas back-and-forth between other humans to make real progress in this area.!

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210225’0227
(Continued...)
Realized Self worth is illustrated by Dickens’s reformed Scrooge, after the long night traveling with three ghosts, past, present, and future, Scrooge changed into a magnanimous and studied philanthropist, giving where needed, acknowledging and promoting the self-worth of others rather than squashing self-esteem.

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Scrooge recognized his self-worth, enhanced his self esteem, and his ego settled down to normal levels.
And
In doing so he actually then was able to help others improve their self esteem and self worth.

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I suspect that in realizing ones self-worth, and consequently being of value to others, one will naturally find opportunities to give and improve the self esteem and self worth of others, it could even be in the form of viola lessons. Though the coin that comes back from that interaction of your asset is not money, if you search your heart you know what it is.

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Our self-worth is the value that we innately have that is beyond what anyone thinks of us, beyond even what our ego thinks of us and protects. Indeed it may be the ego must become smaller, as self worth is realized, in order to actualize it.

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Answer to be continued, I have not yet addressed your question!

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210225’0800
To set up some chance of a meaningful response I am going to look at some of the premises - word definitions related to this question. Definitions for words that describe concepts can be slippery, as we each have individual meanings, and individual interpretations of those meanings ingrained in us. The words are:

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Ego,
Self Esteem,
and Self Worth.

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Of course we are each one thing, one human being, and as such, constitute a system, which is a sub-system of our environment and of the universe. Of the whole interrelated system, the above words describe three limited overlapping features of the sub-system that is “I”, each contributes to the understanding the other.

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So let’s look at three definitions, for the purpose of this response.

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Ego:
For ego, I think of Freud, and the boundaries we set between “I” and others. Thankfully, these boundaries expand and contract.

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Self-Esteem:
A ‘feeling’, but really a self-appraisal of our own value. It is the gut feeling we have about ourselves. The word esteem itself originates from ‘estimate of value’, appraisal. In the case of a human, This self-estimate, self-appraisal is gradually learned, and like an appraisal of real estate value, the local environment (family, others) is critical. Accordingly, self esteem, often comes initially from what we hear from others, what we observe and experience from others, how we are treated by others. Abuse in one form or another can distort self esteem. A healthy childhood can reinforce how we feel about ourselves. Self esteem can fluctuate, in that basically it originates from how we see others see us. And then later, how we process that. But a key point is, as it is a product of opinions and fallible actions and treatment by others, it is a believe we hold that is not necessarily real.

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https://www.etymonline.com/word/esteem

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Self worth:
I think that Self-worth should not be confused with self-esteem. It often is. Self-worth is more akin to a potential, a real potential, not an opinion. Recognizing self-worth means that as an individual, we (sometimes experience a paradigm shift) that recognizes that you, I, or others, have within each of us three great “Worth” assets / potentials: an innate value to ourselves, an innate value to others, and an innate value to life in the universe. For a number of reasons, this value seems to be large enough that it is incalculable. Incidentally, Value of an asset is realized by using that asset. (Hence your question I expect)

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One aspect of that value is: Included in a human being is the power to change another’s life and direction forever, in an instant, with a glance, a word or two, a smile, encouragement, a suggestion. It is nearly incalculable. Acknowledging that highly valuable power in one’s self is realizing self-worth. Self worth is reachable potential.

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(ASKfm response continues with story of Scrooge...)

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