Brain Food Daily: On magical thinking
Daily Brain Food.
Thoughts of the day
Young children often do what is described by psychologists as 'magical thinking'. Magical thinking is the belief that one's own thoughts, wishes, or desires can influence the external world.
Our expectations, of others, ourselves, are bound to fail us because they are hinged on a big, impossible ideal that is embedded within us. They remain an inherent part of ourselves, possibly one we buried deep inside a long time ago.
However, as Charlotte Bronte eloquently expressed it:
“Life is so constructed, that the event does not, cannot, will not, match the expectation.”
Remember this if you often catch yourself feeling disappointed; that perhaps it is simply life's way of telling us to grow up.
But also, remember to appreciate this feeling as an affirmation of your own moral groundings, your hopeless idealism, your beliefs that life, the world, can and should be better. It is admirable to still be able to believe in something.
Of course, in the same way we have expectations of others, so do they have expectations of us.
But more on that tomorrow.
If you were forwarded this email and you'd like to receive more, you can sign up below:
And if you love Brain Food and want the world to know about it, feel free to send them a link to this post. If you have any questions, thoughts, ideas you'd like to share, just hit reply.
Read longer Brain Food musings on Medium.