12 Does the possibilist actually study? - a podcast by Logan Sullivan - Advocate, seeker, writer, humanitarian

Remember those Thursday nights in college when you passed up on the party to stay in and study like the good student you aspired to be, but just ended up watching TV instead...

Well, we do the same thing when trying to be the good people we aspire to be. But we don't have to.

Actualists and possibilists often make different choices. One makes the best possible choice, regardless of its feasibility and their likelihood of honoring that choice, and the other makes the pragmatic one they believe they’ll stick to.

In moments of ambition, we can set energized goals, make resolutions, sign up for gym memberships and diets, and try to radically commit to methods of living more ethically. But if it’s the case, as is often is, that this energy and ambition won’t last at this level over time, we sometimes set ourselves up for failure. When it comes to the gym and weight loss, little harm is done. But when considering our ambitions to increase our positive impact, and decrease our negative impact, failure to act ethically as a result of setting unreasonable goals and giving up, this comes with more substantial consequences.

In this episode, I discuss actualism and possibilism as frameworks for thinking about our commitments and ambitions, as well as the actions that follow, or sometimes fail to follow. I also delve into the potential downsides of militant commitments to ideals.

A special thank you to HÄANA and Cello Joe for permission to use the music in this episode. You can find all their links in the show notes right here: http://logansullivan.com/e12/

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