'[S]o much more ingenious are we in tormenting ourselves than in
discovering reasons for enjoyment in the things that surround us. We
go out of our way to make ourselves uncomfortable; the cup of life is
not bitter enough to our palate, and we distill superfluous poison to
put into it, or conjure up hideous things to frighten ourselves at,
which would never exist if we did not make them.' Tucked between the voluminous accounts of MacKay's empirical study are
astute gems such as these. Half-way through 'Extraordinary Popular
Delusions' and I can almost see his truisms forming the basis for a
behavioral model - which I hope to catalog and expand upon herein over
the coming weeks.
discovering reasons for enjoyment in the things that surround us. We
go out of our way to make ourselves uncomfortable; the cup of life is
not bitter enough to our palate, and we distill superfluous poison to
put into it, or conjure up hideous things to frighten ourselves at,
which would never exist if we did not make them.' Tucked between the voluminous accounts of MacKay's empirical study are
astute gems such as these. Half-way through 'Extraordinary Popular
Delusions' and I can almost see his truisms forming the basis for a
behavioral model - which I hope to catalog and expand upon herein over
the coming weeks.
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