DW's Blog

Steady Your Impulses

by DW Green — February 9, 2022

Who is in control here?

Think of the manic people in your life. Not the ones suffering from an unfortunate disorder, but the ones whose lives and choices are in disorder. Everything is soaring highs or crushing lows; the day is either amazing or awful. Aren’t those people exhausting? Don’t you wish they just had a filter through which they could test the good impulses versus bad ones?

There is such a filter. Justice. Reason. Philosophy. If there’s a central message, it’s this: impulses of all kinds are going to come, and your work is to control them, like bringing a dog to heel. Put more simply: Ask: Who is in control here? What principles are guiding me?