Friday, April 29, 2011

the conflicting impulses theory of humanity

We delight in what is novel.

We find comfort in what is familiar.

We recoil from what is painful.

Life at any extreme is simple and predictable. All chaotic and irrational behaviour results from resolving the tension caused by overlapping impulses, such as dealing with an idea that is both novel and painful, or finding the balance between what is novel and familiar.