Temptation Can Bring Down an Empire
When is the right time to jump, to take risks, to employ a different life?
The Itch
From my lifetime, I regard it as a feeling of almost nausea but not quite. A burning, jolty feeling deep down to the core. An itch that you want to scratch so badly, you’d be willing to crash your car over it.
The Downfall of Empires
Through meditative practice and deep thought, it seems like I have come to a conclusion that temptation can bring down empires or pre-empires… Something that could’ve been. There is many readings that have examples of this, it is well noted throughout history and mythology. History is rife with examples, from the fall of Rome to the Greek myth of Icarus, where succumbing to temptation led to disastrous outcomes.
The Unsustainable System
The thing about temptation is that as you grow stronger, the temptation for rash action also grows. Maybe it is a combination of being tired of your usual everyday routine, the “lock in” Combined with a little more intelligence, buying power and probably some undeserved confidence. Getting better at all facets fuels this temptation, it builds a system that is unsustainable in terms of not “scratching that itch”. The breaking point is inevitable.
Environmental Pressures
This combined with the pressures of your environment builds pressure in the system. The people that attempt to keep you down whether consciously or subconsciously. Being humble because you don’t want to reveal your hand and also the growing power to squash them because you know they aren’t as savvy as you. This comes from the workplace, even some home life.
The Hidden Power of Discipline
But what happens when you scratch this metaphorical itch? Throughout time, bad things have happened. Empires have fallen, great people have lost it all. We count our chickens before they hatch, put the cart before the horse. Many have found this to be a net negative, to express this power too early when they aren’t the best in the world at (name it). Maybe it is an environmental thing & a new playground is needed? A bigger fish tank for the shark to grow into form.
The hidden power is to not scratch the itch. There is no word for it in exact terms, maybe discipline? Its like going on a diet, its not the diet that is important, its what you are able to sustain. Therefore behind a diet, the hard part is not the actual diet, but who you become in the process. The ability to stay consistent in that diet even amongst rough times. The hidden power there is the will to just get back on track and don’t do something drastic, rooted in stoic philosophy as many great tributes are.
The Timing Dilemma
How do you know when to take action? Because the inevitable truth is that the answer is not inaction. Perhaps that sixth sense is what makes somebody really great, knowing how long to hold out in inaction and keep grinding before doing something that is going to rock your world. That and a stroke of luck seems to be like the recipe.
The Ego's Push and Pull
The more you have to put your ego aside and take the brunt, the further you get pushed towards and actionable terms either rational or irrational… But in the same breath, great things take time. A-lot of effort, focus and time. Then the ego is like, how can you let x happen? Take control, you have the ability, just do it. Go Go Go.
The need to put your ego aside and be patient.
The ego's urge to take immediate action.
I know, I probably sound like a madman at this point, but I suspect that I am not unique in this thinking especially amongst those who have found the formula and executed. There is someone out there like “Ah, he is at that moment, that make or break moment, will he make the right choices?” God, I sure hope so.
As I type on my computer and stroke my mustache, I think… What is the right time? How much longer do I have to accept the status quo before wielding some power in different directions. To build up to a point of milestone takes many, many nights alone and a repetitive kind of life to which I’ve learned not many people are willing to put up with.
Maybe people just hold on as long as they can until they break and the stroke of luck is what sets them apart. Perhaps driven by emotion people employ their greatest efforts; Which comes only at breaking points. Emotion is a powerful driver, if not the most powerful.
Nearing the Breaking Point
-I’m nearing mine.
Making moves is the name of the game, whatever doesn’t move gets crushed. What to do, what to do.
What are your thoughts on navigating temptation? Have you experienced similar struggles with timing and action? Your experiences are valued.