the blue dragon, portugal http://www.flickr.com/photos/top-shot-man/4886324436/

nature follows the path of least resistance. why is it so hard for us to do the same? why?

how must the water feel, being forced to turn and twist? does the water know it is following the path of least resistance? perhaps if it were able, water, too, would rue the day it fell from the sky...

sluggaslamoo

Australia4494 Posts

July 13 2012 05:21 GMT

We do follow the path of least resistance.

We sleep in

We skip homework

We sit on the couch and watch TV while people tell us what we should think

NoctemSC

United States771 Posts

July 13 2012 05:29 GMT

On July 13 2012 14:21 sluggaslamoo wrote:
We do follow the path of least resistance.

We sleep in

We skip homework

We sit on the couch and watch TV while people tell us what we should think

While I don't believe everyone does, I do believe that everyone has, at one point in their life been like this.
It's human nature to want to find the easiest solution to a problem.

surfinbird1

Germany999 Posts

July 13 2012 07:40 GMT

On July 13 2012 14:21 sluggaslamoo wrote:
We do follow the path of least resistance.

We sleep in

We skip homework

We sit on the couch and watch TV while people tell us what we should think

That's exactly what I thought when I read this blog. Being lazy is the path of least resistance. And it's even biologically sound because while lazying around you don't waste precious energy.

Catch]22

Sweden2683 Posts

July 13 2012 10:42 GMT

Too bad its fucking boring :C

[UoN]Sentinel

United States11320 Posts

July 13 2012 11:27 GMT

Well that's how humans separated from other primates in the first place. Humans were always looking for and inventing shortcuts for their day-to-day lives.

E.g. why should we climb trees to get food when we can just walk around and whack the trees, and the food will come to us instead? And if the food doesn't come down why don't we sharpen the stick so the tree breaks in two? And eventually the axe came about.

Inventions are all for the sake of laziness.

solidbebe

Netherlands4921 Posts

July 13 2012 12:42 GMT

But we do follow the path of least resistance: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desire_path

DreamChaser

1649 Posts

July 13 2012 13:33 GMT

Instead i wish i didnt follow the path of least resistance, thats the path that will be worn down already where the path of innovation is always an untouched path.

TheGiz

Canada708 Posts

July 13 2012 14:03 GMT

Think of it this way:

The water is not able to go where it pleases - it goes where it can, because the mountains push it this way and that. Liquid in a free environment cannot handle force - it can only yield to it. Those in life who take the path of least resistance are the masses - they can do nothing but what the mountains make them do.

The Romans built great roads and aqueducts that left their marks throughout Europe for centuries. Who remembers the walking paths of the Celts, or the Gauls? No one remembers the coopers, or the crofters, or the smiths, who did their trade and passed on. People remember Caesar, and Pompeii, and Antony, and Octavian, and Constantine, who raised great armies and led thousands of people and made their mark. They are the mountains; their followers are the waters.

[SuNdae]

Finland323 Posts

July 13 2012 14:08 GMT

#10

People always make the minimum effort possible to get what they want, everyone does.

TheGiz

Canada708 Posts

July 13 2012 15:22 GMT

#11

On July 13 2012 23:08 [SuNdae] wrote:
People always make the minimum effort possible to get what they want, everyone does.

Bad people, maybe. I don't believe in this philosophy at all. There is a right way and a wrong way to do things. The path of least effort is not always the best way to do something. The saying, "Anything worth doing is worth doing well." would not exist if everyone just took the easiest solution possible. Anyone can do a thing, but few can do that thing well.

My gradfather had a saying: "Haste makes waste." I despise the notion of finding the impulsive, simple solution.

radscorpion9

Canada2252 Posts

July 13 2012 15:47 GMT

#12

On July 14 2012 00:22 TheGiz wrote:

Show nested quote +

I just wanted to point out that there's a difference between following the path of least resistance to accomplish a goal and using the path of least resistance to determine what your goals should be.

I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with doing as little as you can, or seeking the shortest route, to attain a goal. It makes good logical sense to take the shortest, simplest path to achieve something. The only thing that really matters is what your goals are (do you want to have good relationships, a nice house, a great job?).

In the end even the philosophy of doing things right the first time is really just a more evolved path of least resistance, because if you put in a little bit more energy now, you save much more energy later on trying to fix things up than if you had done things poorly in the past. And of course there are also all the negative side-effects of being someone who barely completes their work; most likely you will never get a raise, probably won't be seen in a positive light by co-workers, have ongoing troubles with your boss, and risk being fired in favour of another potential employee who could do a better job than you.

[UoN]Sentinel

United States11320 Posts

July 13 2012 15:54 GMT

#13

On July 13 2012 23:03 TheGiz wrote:
Think of it this way:

The water is not able to go where it pleases - it goes where it can, because the mountains push it this way and that. Liquid in a free environment cannot handle force - it can only yield to it. Those in life who take the path of least resistance are the masses - they can do nothing but what the mountains make them do.

The Romans built great roads and aqueducts that left their marks throughout Europe for centuries. Who remembers the walking paths of the Celts, or the Gauls? No one remembers the coopers, or the crofters, or the smiths, who did their trade and passed on. People remember Caesar, and Pompeii, and Antony, and Octavian, and Constantine, who raised great armies and led thousands of people and made their mark. They are the mountains; their followers are the waters.

But the waters can make the mountains, and destroy them. Two rivers flowing side by side can create a mountain range between them over time.

And then there's the whole "shoulders of giants" thing. For example, Google should be a source of waters. It allows for less resistance because instead of say, having to do exhaustive IRL searches or going to the library, you just type what you need in the little box. Least resistance.

Yet many mountains can arise from this river. Businesses, CEO's. I bet all the presidents, prime ministers, what have you use the search engine at least sparingly. Yet they are mountains as well. They have all left their mark. Yet they too, to some extent, are following the path of least resistance.

TheGiz

Canada708 Posts

July 13 2012 17:44 GMT

#14

I appreciate the moderate responses to my reply. It's just that... in my hometown there are not many high tech jobs and the local university isn't of any particular prestige. I see a lot of people do very little with their lives; dear friends of mine whom I know are very intelligent made very poor life decisions that resulted in them going nowhere. Had they challenged themselves a little they could have become much more than they are, but instead they chose to put in less effort and wound up nowhere. I could count on my hands the number of people from my year who got high tech jobs. It's heartbreaking, because you want to see your friends do well.

As has been said, there's a noted difference between no effort and efficient choices. I understand the difference; I just can't comprehend the former choice.

And to the "rivers carve mountains" analogy, rivers carve canyons and valleys. I know, I live by a huge river that has carved a big damn ravine in the last 15,000 years. There are no mountains besides, just heaps of losers on either side. Go up the river, see any mountains? No, just more losers.