Sacré Bleu,Ne Succombe Pas
Or - As French as frog legs
Think.
I have been asked, on occasion, where I come up with the topics for each week’s post.
Some are easy; one topic leads to another or, because of my five-minute-read rule, I must continue a subject in successive episodes.
But sometimes, a coincidental collision of random ideas coalesce into a (hopefully) coherent thought. This is that kind of week.
Stan Lake, a buddy of mine, recently started a substack titled Dissonance Personified which I have been enjoying (and I think you would too). His most recent episode covered his one and only meal of frog legs.
I read Stan’s post while on vacation with my wife, Tracy, in Paris. It made me think of ‘frog’ as the mildly pejorative epithet for the French, and as I do, I became curious about the term’s origin.
One possibility is that the fleur de lis resembles a frog.
But the more frequently cited explanation is simply that the French eat a lot of frog legs, or cuisses de grenouille.
And while I did not have any cuisses de grenouille on this trip, I did recall the apologue describing a frog being slowly boiled.
As the tale goes, if a frog is placed in a pot of water over a low flame, it will float contentedly as the water heats, remaining blissfully unaware of the growing danger.
Two thoughts on this:
1. Don’t try it at home- It’s cruel.
2. It’s not true. Frogs are smart enough to jump out when the water gets too hot.
This (at least in some cases) makes them smarter than us.
We tend to engage in what big brains call ‘the escalation of commitment.’ The inclination to continue past behaviors or beliefs, especially those that we exhibit around others, even when those behaviors or beliefs do not produce a desirable outcome.
We keep dog paddling even after the water starts to get uncomfortable and bubbles begin to rise from the bottom of the pot.
We rationalize that, “I’ve come this far, so why not stick with it?”
I mentioned this a bit the other week when I talked about becoming embedded in a particular way of thinking, or cognitive entrenchment.
This doesn’t mean you should say, “Well, I guess I’ll stop going to the gym because I haven’t reached my fitness goals.”
But it may mean that you should reevaluate what you are doing in the gym.
But, this is really more applicable to deeply held opinions and beliefs whose origin we can’t point to, or validate. Things we were told, or things we believe without question.
Sometimes we contentedly float in the pot we’ve been placed in and never consider that we’re free to jump out. We over-commit to an unexplored concept or an imposed identity. This is something that psychologist James Marcia calls identity foreclosure.
If there is a phrase that I hate even more than, “Sorry, Sir. We’re out of pie.”
It is: “That is the way we have always done it.”
Take the opportunity to re-think what you’re thinking and make sure, as Robert Prisig of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance fame said, “...make sure nature hasn’t misled you into thinking you know something you actually don’t know.”
We can start by using the scientific method:
Or a bit more simplistically:
You don’t have to be a scientist to use the scientific method.
Or perhaps using the scientific method makes you a scientist?
Either way, hop out of the pot and hypothesize.
Read. A Moment of Violence by Luke Ryan
I’ve been on a bit of a poetry kick lately. I’ve dug up the bunch of Carpe Diem poems I have been sharing, although I do not consider myself a poet. Luke Ryan is a poet and a fine one. This book came out in 2020. Click on the photo to go to a review I wrote about it at the time for my friends at the Dead Reckoning Collective who initially published it. Luke is a former Army Ranger, poet, and a hell of a guy. Pick up a copy here: A Moment of Violence
Write.
Yet another carpe diem poem for you:
The Phalanx
One can stand, back to the wall
Spear planted, or sword held high
Taking on all who oppose him
Until attackers cease or he, heroic falls.
Two back-to-back can better guard
One may rest while the other keeps watch.
A capable comrade close steadies and encourages
To fight with another is half as hard.
As the phalanx grows, growth inspires
With shields and purpose interlocked.
The fingers of an iron or a benevolent fist
Delivered as each battle requires.
Repeat.
Words of wisdom from those who said it best.
I am not judged by the number of times I fail, but by the number of times I succeed: and the number of times I succeed is in direct proportion to the number of times I fail and keep trying. ~ Tom Hopkins
The greatest oak was once a little nut who held its ground. ~ Author Unknown
If you would hit the mark, you must aim a little above it; Every arrow that flies feels the attraction of earth. ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Do what you can, with what you have, where you are. ~ Theodore Roosevelt
Thanks for reading. See you next Thursday!
Thanks for the shoutout! This one was awesome and for whatever reason I always just believed the old adage frogs in a pot was true. I should have known haha.