Enchantment & Disenchantment
Last updated
Last updated
What
Perceiving the Benefit or Disadvantage to facilitate, strengthen & automate or to hinder, weaken & de-automate habits
Benefits
Clarity about which is of Benefit or of Disadvantage
Facilitate & Strengthen Virtues
Hinder & Weaken Vices
Increase or Decrease of Automation of habits
Enjoy habit change
Instructions
'Does this habit cause benefit or disadvantage?'
Softening into it
Strengthens -> Enchant
Notice how pleasant it feels
Enjoy how pleasant it feels
Weakens -> Disenchant -> Enchant
Notice how unpleasant it feels
Softening into it & Enjoy how preferable & pleasant it feels
Daily Life
Virtuous Habits
Inform your mind of the benefit of a favorable habit by softening into and enjoying how good it feels to experience that habit
e.g., how nice it feels to be kind and help someone
Vice-ful Habits
Inform your mind of the disadvantage of a disfavorable habit by noticing the excessive effort and/or unpleasantness, then softening into, enjoying how preferable it feels to let go
e.g., how unpleasant it feels to experience separation and quarrel with someone
Consider
Soften First, Enchant Second
Softening ensures that the habit is in harmony with letting go
If it strengthens it is considered a virtue i.e., enchant with it
If it weakens it is considered a vice i.e., disenchant with it
Anytime you Disenchant, also Enchant
To enjoy the process of habit change more, balance the unpleasantness from disenchantment with the pleasure from enchantment.
To increase the habit change by showing it the preferred alternative.
If you only enchant with a favorable habit, there is no need (but you still can) to disenchant with the alternative.
Direct Experience > Reason
Directly experiencing the unpleasantness of disenchantment or the pleasure from enchantment will cause your mind's perception to shift
Using reason only, without directly experiencing the hedonic valence has near insignificant impact on the perfection shift of disadvantage and benefit
Offering > Forcing
With every demonstration of benefit or disadvantage, you are influencing a part of the mind's 'opinion'
Whenever some parts of the mind are convinced by either the disadvantage or benefit, they will act accordingly
Analogy: Government Vote
Some parts of the mind might be convinced that procrastinating is of benefit while other parts might be convinced of the disadvantage of procrastinating and the benefit of action in harmony with your values.
Whichever parts have the majority vote in a specific situation, your mind will act accordingly
Progress
Increase in Clarity about which is of Benefit or of Disadvantage
Impact of Perception shift of each dis-/enchantment increases
Increase in Facilitation, Strength and Automation
Increase in Hindering, Weakening, and De-Automation
Increase in Attitude of Offering rather than forcing
Acknowledgement