If we understood it, it would enlighten our approach to many subjects:
What motivates nations to fight?
What motivates us to get on with others. How much does passing laws help?
What motivates us to learn?
The Thinker, sculpture by Auguste Rodin Picture taken in Musee Rodin in Paris, France by wikipedian Pufacz who kindly grants us permission to use his photoWhat motivates us to work hard?
To do things that we don't want to?
To eat cakes?
To be tenacious and do a job really well ?
To wake up in the morning?
To have another swig at the Whiskey bottle?
To watch yet more Tele?
What place does "ownership" have in motivation?
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A discussion group I go to every fortnight is examining this subject!
We are asked:
"What motivates me to do what I'm doing now?"
And then to make a note of our answer.
"Dunno" is not a valid answer we are told !
"Fed up with asking the question" is, in my book.
If I go on like this, I'll be motivated to do nothing!
It's good to be made to stop and think - just now and again - but introspection is for Ostriches to use a cliche - poor maligned Ostriches.
Time to go and do 'stuff' and to hell with why?
"Because I want to" is my answer.
But wait a minute.
Perhaps that's the answer to the riddle.
Sounds like a better reason than "Dunno".
The next thing to check, it seems to me, is how do we feel after the event?
Five minutes fter eating a cake - how do we feel?
Five minutes after doing a job really well - how do we feel?
Five minutes after watching tele - again - how do we feel?
Now, how about comparing the results of "How do we feel ?" and deciding which we rate highest?
Having done a bit of analysis of what are we going to do about it?
F**k all, could well be the answer!
What do you think?
11 comments:
The obvious drives of food, shelter, love, self-esteem and sex (basically stemming from man's need to procreate) are too obvious to mention really.
We can be psychologically driven to explore possibilities for creativity and self expression — as with art, music and writing.
Or to have wealth and power. For some that can be a creative urge too — exploring what you are good at doing and taking it as far as you can go.
Achievement in anything — exploration, climbing, sports — you name it!
I guess for me at present (could change) I am driven to write.
I guess much of it boils down to self-expression which gives us self-esteem.
We can have a sense of achievement even if it is only to walk up the local hill while others will climb Everest!
So why am I bothering to write this comment? What motivates me to do so? So why did you write the post?
For me the answer comes straight away - I'm curious.
I'm always trying to figure things out and understand myself - and hence others and various societies we live amongst, better.
I delight in finding someone else who is also curious and will help me with their questions to try to sort out viable answers. Hence our discussion group!
Curious? I guess we are all that, from the day we are born. It is how we grow in knowledge and intelligence. The sad thing is that distractions tend to feed our more mundane appetites. 'Grown ups' often lose that childlike wonder that nourishes our very being.
'Unless, you become as a little child...'
But it is a mistake to think that those who do not share our views have lost 'curiosity' . It can lead us in many directions — good, evil and many shades in-between.
And what is 'good' and what is 'evil'?
Are drugs 'good' or 'evil'; both or neither.
Is it the drugs or is it the people?
Different people, different answers!
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What motivates people is one slant. How can one person motivate another is a second slant. How do you motivate people to help out with the Mill Dam Park? Is it the same motivation that they feel in themselves?
I guess the higher up the "Evolutionary Ladder" you are the delay in gratification becomes longer, thus, the quantitive achievement required to finally accept gratification is somewhat greater....
We are all different, therefore all not in the same stage of evolution....which, may go some way to explain why, it is never written, that life must be "fair"
You can chase around in circles over philosophical argument and posturing. People of similar language and backgrounds share a common understanding of certain words without going into lengthy debate over 'meaning' and origin of every word they utter.
This is why I do not join in such groups. They get you nowhere except to make some people feel good at point scoring.
Sorry, Geoff. I'll leave you to have the last word. I have too much to do and more serious matters to get on with.
Thanks Gladys!
The more I get my philosophy sorted out, the better motivated I become!
Philosophy for me is a very, very, practical subject.
Reflect - act; reflect - act; reflect - act; reflect - act.
The more and deeper the reflection, the greater, wiser and more effective the action.
How do we motivate others :
How do others motivate us?
.
Big'n Ugly
What are you trying to say?
May I suggest simple statements that are understandable by individuals at a lower evolutionary stage than you consider yourself to be!
Alternatively, speak as you do when you are WOD on knowhere ulverston!
I agree, the statement:
"the delay in gratification becomes longer, thus, the quantitive achievement required to finally accept gratification is somewhat greater...."
Needs some explanation to be of use top lesser mortals.
An anecdote always helps.
On the other hand what does :
"speak as you do when you are WOD on knowhere ulverston!"
mean to the rest of us!
Sounds like a coded message!
Can the rest of us join in please?
Or do we have to go "knowhere" to find out.
Don't do it is my warning. The most negative bunch of people that I've come across in Ulverston.
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