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This Only Looks Like a Plateau

The lie of present-event bias

By Remington WritePublished 4 years ago 3 min read
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Every day I feel like I have arrived. Here I am at last. All the struggles and doubts and switchbacks and dumb moves got me here to my destination.

And that’s crap.

Today is no more my destination than yesterday was or last Thursday or that day in July 2015 when I made an appointment to get my teeth cleaned. It’s not your destination either. Because “today” seems like a pretty flat surface and we can see most of where we’ve been, it’s incredibly tempting to behave as if we’re safely plateaued and it’s all smooth sailing from here on out. After all, look at how much we’ve learned. How far we’ve come!

My proudest moment (ish)

Apparently I have invented a pseudo-psychological term for this phenomenon and I’ve been spouting it like I know what I’m talking about for years. Present event bias means that whatever I’m feeling or experiencing right now is what I’ve always felt and experienced and what I’ll always feel and experience. Now, even as I’m “feeling” this, I know intellectually it’s not true but it sure does feel true.

Sounds solid, no? No. In prep for this piece, I asked the Google for a nice, official-sounding definition and the term apparently doesn’t exist. Or didn’t until I typed it just now. Now it exists (can I monetize this sucker?).

At any rate, I like it. I’m going to keep using it. Feel free to use it, too. Spread it around. Impress your friends.

Back to our seemingly secure plateau. Yeah, no. No security here. This is not a plateau no matter how flat and stable it seems or how great the view is. It’s always an incline or a decline. Check your balance. If you pay attention you’ll be able to tell if you’re going up or going down. But, make no mistake, we’re all always moving so don’t get too hung up on that view.

Based on some decades of experience I’ll go out on a limb and say that while the inclines can be tougher on the calves and hamstrings, they’re still preferable to the declines.

There’s this tipping point with declines and once you pass that point, you got no brakes. You’re not slowing this thing down. Ever been on a bike or a skateboard going down a hill? At first, it’s pretty sweet. A nice relief after straining to get up that last hill. The wind in your hair. The speed picking up but you’re good. You got this under control. And maybe you do. Up to a point but pay close attention. You do not want this decline to own you.

Best case scenario?

We all think we want to haul ourselves onto that vast and glorious plateau with the clouds above us and the terrain spread out in all directions like a tapestry.

You know. Great job that we like doing but don’t have to work too hard at that pays really well and has excellent benefits. The perfect romantic relationship that doesn’t require all that communication and listening and shit. Maybe two or three very photogenic kids who are healthy and can amuse themselves quietly. A comfortable home with a killer surround-sound entertainment center and a massive 60" flat screen tv in the bedroom. New car every year. Never gain weight without ever having to go to the gym.

Dear God, shoot me now.

Can you imagine how unutterably mind-atrophyingly stultifying all that would be? I can. I’m a writer.

In an ideal world, we’re all always dealing with varying degrees of incline with a little dip here and there to keep things interesting. But we really want to keep moving up. Not because it will get us closer to that reward, that ultimate destination (in case you didn’t get the memo, there’s only one destination and it’s the grave) but because it keeps our legs nicely toned and our hearts healthy.

So, yeah, enjoy the view.

But brace yourself because this surface we’re sharing? It’s not nearly as stable as we can sometimes think it is. And, yes, the mother of all declines is in everyone’s future.

Enjoy the ride!

© Remington Write 2020. All Rights Reserved.

happiness
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About the Creator

Remington Write

Writing because I can't NOT write.

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