Great post! For anyone interested in this topic, I’d also recommend reading Kelsey Piper’s post on the virtues of “compassion for oneself” and “[personal] sovereignty”. Ozy Brennan’s post on “load-bearing things” is also good and relevant.
Going from my personal experience alone, I would suggest that all people with scrupulous tendencies check in with their selfish desires regularly as on-going hygiene. Having trouble finding them is an early warning sign for me. (Plus, it’s kind of a fun “intervention” because there’s the promise of gratification when you figure out what you want. :P )
I strongly support doing this for a few different reasons:
As you noted, it serves as a warning sign for excessive scrupulosity (and at least in my case, depressive tendencies).
It helps you remember “what we’re fighting for”: When I’m actively happy and have things to do that I enjoy, I feel much more inspired to take actions that will help others enjoy their lives.
It can be really hard to battle obsessive/addictive sources of “fun” if you don’t acknowledge them and think about them neutrally. I’ve found it helpful to reframe “crap, I wasted so much time today” to “I did something that was meant to be fun today—was it fun? Did it stop being fun at some point? Next time, how can I recognize when it stops being fun sooner?”
Kelsey’s bit on sovereignty is great! I’ve been realizing the importance of that concept recently but I hadn’t put a name to it. Lack of sovereignty is a pretty good description of the “crippling moral doubt and confusion --> loss of agency, total conformity to ideology” symptom as well.
Great post! For anyone interested in this topic, I’d also recommend reading Kelsey Piper’s post on the virtues of “compassion for oneself” and “[personal] sovereignty”. Ozy Brennan’s post on “load-bearing things” is also good and relevant.
I strongly support doing this for a few different reasons:
As you noted, it serves as a warning sign for excessive scrupulosity (and at least in my case, depressive tendencies).
It helps you remember “what we’re fighting for”: When I’m actively happy and have things to do that I enjoy, I feel much more inspired to take actions that will help others enjoy their lives.
It can be really hard to battle obsessive/addictive sources of “fun” if you don’t acknowledge them and think about them neutrally. I’ve found it helpful to reframe “crap, I wasted so much time today” to “I did something that was meant to be fun today—was it fun? Did it stop being fun at some point? Next time, how can I recognize when it stops being fun sooner?”
Kelsey’s bit on sovereignty is great! I’ve been realizing the importance of that concept recently but I hadn’t put a name to it. Lack of sovereignty is a pretty good description of the “crippling moral doubt and confusion --> loss of agency, total conformity to ideology” symptom as well.