Crocodile Water aka how our brains work

Imagine that you live in the jungle and you have to walk to the river every day to fetch water. There is a well-worn path to the watering hole. However, the water there isn’t the clearest or the freshest. Even worse, there is a crocodile that lives there so you have to watch out for him. He’s nasty.

You’ve heard rumors of a pristine watering hole farther up river but don’t know of any path to get there.

So one day you get out your machete and you start hacking a path through the jungle. Sure enough the rumors are true. This new watering hole is so much nicer than the old one. And, not a crocodile to be found.

Now every day you have a choice between the two paths. The older path is much easier to travel though because it is so well established. The new path requires more effort.

If you consistently choose to use the new path, it will become easier and easier to travel (wider and smoother). Meanwhile the jungle grows fast so the old path will start to disappear.

On the other hand, if you consistently choose to take the path of least resistance, the jungle grows fast and the new path quickly disappears.

So, is it worth the extra effort to have the clean crocodile free water?

So, is it worth the extra effort to have clean crocodile free thoughts?

Much Love,