Whether he misdiagnosed himself is kind of irrelevant. The case is:
- He's had a chronic problem with sleep.
- He was able to overcome his problem with sleep by realizing it was not so much a personal or moral fault, but a problem that was being approached the wrong way.
- He related the story to a friend who felt that her inability to sleep was a character weakness, and upon realizing that maybe it was just that she had a difference and needed to approach that problem differently was a comfort to her.
- He thought maybe that sharing the story with others would help them recognize that maybe their sleep problems weren't a bad character trait like laziness, but instead just an unsolved problem on how to properly let themselves fall asleep.
I disagree with some of his diagnoses, and even question whether the processes he was using actually helped in the way he thought they did. However, I appreciate the premise that "laziness" is not the cause of oversleeping, and approaching it as a solvable problem rather than trying to bruteforce your way to wakefulness and feeling like a failure when it doesn't work is a better solution.
What exactly is "willpower" and why would a lack of it need to be rationalized? "Morning people" don't need to exert a lot of mental effort to be wakeful in the morning. To insinuate that someone needs to "rationalize a lack of willpower" implies that willpower is some sort of moral resource that morally superior people have a higher quantity of. But all that's in there is hormones and neurons and flesh and blood. If they're not interacting properly, and you can organize yourself so they interact better, then it would be foolish not to.
>>Whether he misdiagnosed himself is kind of irrelevant
I never claimed the author misdiagnosed himself or was lazy-
>>What exactly is "willpower" and why would a lack of it need to be rationalized... To insinuate that someone needs to "rationalize a lack of willpower" implies that willpower is some sort of moral resource...
Assuming the people in question do not suffer from a legitimate disorder: Willpower is the ability to make yourself do things you feel must be done when you don't feel like it. It is an extention of self-control and lack of it IS a moral deficiency.
>> "Morning people" don't need to exert a lot of mental effort to be wakeful in the morning
Now is getting up at the crack of 8:00 AM easier for some people than other? Yes it is. However we all face things that are harder for us than others in some area of our lives and become able to overcome that is important.
>>If they're not interacting properly, and you can organize yourself so they interact better, then it would be foolish not to.
I completely agree and did not say otherwise.
>>But all that's in there is hormones and neurons and flesh and blood.
A disorder is when a persons biology is so abnormal/dysfunctional they require treatment. If you have a sleep disorder I would give anyone a free pass in this department, but for anyone else I expect them to master their biology. The same way we must master our biological tenancies and 1. control our tempers 2. control our sex drives 3. control our desire to over eat 4. control our desire to be "efficient" and not exercise. Unless you have a disorder, sleep is no different.
Sorry, but in this case, I don't consider a lack of willpower to be a moral deficiency.
When does the need for willpower become excessive? When does it change from a deficiency in the person, to a deficiency in the environment?
If one doesn't have the willpower to work 15 hour days, that isn't a deficiency in the person, it's a deficiency in the environment.
I argue that the same is the case for people with sleep and eating disorders. To fix these disorders with willpower alone, is simply too much to ask for the majority of people. It lies in a deficiency in the environment -- an unlimited access to unhealthy food, and an unlimited access to stimulating light.
Willpower clearly isn't the way. We have to look at solving these problems by improving our environment (I don't mean that in a green, nature way, I just mean whatever existence surrounds the person with the issue)
For most people the early start only has to be done because we are stuck in bad working structures. Sure some people need to be in at a certain time to collaborate but for many it is just arbitrary and they aren't achieving any more by being in at 8 instead of 10.
- He's had a chronic problem with sleep. - He was able to overcome his problem with sleep by realizing it was not so much a personal or moral fault, but a problem that was being approached the wrong way. - He related the story to a friend who felt that her inability to sleep was a character weakness, and upon realizing that maybe it was just that she had a difference and needed to approach that problem differently was a comfort to her. - He thought maybe that sharing the story with others would help them recognize that maybe their sleep problems weren't a bad character trait like laziness, but instead just an unsolved problem on how to properly let themselves fall asleep.
I disagree with some of his diagnoses, and even question whether the processes he was using actually helped in the way he thought they did. However, I appreciate the premise that "laziness" is not the cause of oversleeping, and approaching it as a solvable problem rather than trying to bruteforce your way to wakefulness and feeling like a failure when it doesn't work is a better solution.
What exactly is "willpower" and why would a lack of it need to be rationalized? "Morning people" don't need to exert a lot of mental effort to be wakeful in the morning. To insinuate that someone needs to "rationalize a lack of willpower" implies that willpower is some sort of moral resource that morally superior people have a higher quantity of. But all that's in there is hormones and neurons and flesh and blood. If they're not interacting properly, and you can organize yourself so they interact better, then it would be foolish not to.