What do white coats, fancy yachts, and red pills have in common?
If you sprain your ankle, you will likely see a medical professional. If you don't see a doctor right away, for sure, you might see one to sign off that you're okay to walk on it.
If you happen to be or know a megalomaniac, you might notice that they buy large yachts. More than likely, the reason they buy a yacht is to entertain their friends.
If you have pain, you might reach for a Tylenol to provide relief. Nevermind, your body is capable of reducing the pain over time and through its own means.
What do these all have in common?
They provide you with a feeling you couldn't get elsewhere. A feeling only you could give to yourself - justification.
Rory Sutherland uses these examples in his book, "Alchemy," and I believe they're worth the exanimation.
Doctor: your body is perfectly capable of healing your sprain. You could easily experiment and try to walk on it your foot. You might fail, or you might be okay. Your doctor provides reassurance.
Yacht: while you could undoubtedly entertain your friends at your place, a yacht gives you the ability to control your friends - you become the captain!
Red Pill: we've been conditioned that when we take the pain relief medication, we'll feel better. Perhaps this is a placebo? Maybe it's real? But, our bodies are capable of removing the pain response.
What I'm getting at is that everything we do has a reason. Or am I saying, we have an explanation for everything we do?
I believe it's the latter.
How many times do you make decisions and not realize why you're doing what you're doing?
My sister would argue that she does this all the time. But, when she's held to account, she can rattle a hundred reasons why she did, or did not, do something. Many times, those reasons don't make sense - at least to me.
In fact, the point is that my sister's reasonings aren't as much a justification for me, as much as they are her justification to herself.
What white coats, fancy boats, and pills have in common is that they are self-justifications. They are the PR factories to the unconscious decision-maker. They allow us to actually feel the things we need to feel - safety, control, and relief (respectively).
Or, in the case of my sister, righteous.
I'm the same way.
So are you.
