Quotations and Literature Forum

Why do we lose self control and do things in the heat of the moment? Does anyone have a real answer - ( Not a mysterious one )

Perhaps it is because we do not want to miss an opportunity that could be lost, and then we would feel regret. Afterall, hestitation is weakness. But I would like to know other people's opinions on this one.

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How is hesitation weakness?

Hesitation is not a survival trait and if you can tell me how it is a strength, then I welcome it. If a car is approaching you at high velocity, and you hesitate to react, you are going to be killed. Hesitation being a weakness probably has more of a foundation with animals in the wild than with human beings, but it should still apply to us.

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I just wanted clarification. I saw hesitation as indecision based on insufficient information.

Hesitation is a weakness in biological terms. Therefore we have evovled so that when we are under pressure we make quick decisions. Most times it is more valuble to make the wrong decision than it is to make no decision.

This reaction is stronger in men than women as men where more frequently put in theese postions when people were evovling.

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"The Truth may be out there but the lies are in your head"
"I tend to think if God wanted us to believe in him he'd exist."

When I think of self-control and doing things in the heat of the moment, I think of temptation. I believe temptation causes us to break our own promises.

Assume you made a new years resolution to not eat dessert for an entire year. One night you're with your friends and buddies, and you're all out and about. Somehow you end up at an ice cream shop and they all start ordering these ice creams. The smell and luring sensations of it all drive you to desire this ice cream. Your friends are also starting to poke and prod that you don't have anything. So you end up giving in to temptation and getting an icecream for yourself. "One ice cream isn't going to kill me" you may say. But it's not necessarily about the sugar or unhealthy proprties of the ice cream that make it bad; it's the lack of willpower. You promised to yourself that you'd hold off on eating ice cream. But you get caught up in the moment and fail to follow the path you set for yourself.

It's all temptation... and possibly some more outward forces that cause us to do this. If you think of teenagers and sex, you'd know that not many people really have a goal to abstain from sexual activities. Yet, those who do have that promise find it very hard to keep up when they are with their boyfriend/girlfriend and are gradually going further and further. Soon enough temptation overcomes that person and he/she gives into that temptation.

I hope that made sense.

It makes perfect sense. The answer is temptation. My new question is, what does one need to have to fight and overcome temptation?

Some people do because they want to do the thing they said they wouldn't.
They think doing this however is wrong so they have to fight to avoid giving in.

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"The Truth may be out there but the lies are in your head"
"I tend to think if God wanted us to believe in him he'd exist."

So the need to adjust their belief then to overcome temptation.