I find myself, and men generally, ignorant of comfort's utility. We may even see comfort as counter-productive or hindering efficiency. This is potentially bad and destructive.
Our blind spot may stem from the benefit, at times, of good results accidentally coming from being an insensitive brute. We then learn to bypass nature's loss function—pain—in favor of principles or logic or some other intellectual goal. We gain exposure to risk, and we discover useful shortcuts to the extent of our tolerance.
On the other hand women, at times, seem not to recognize the necessity of discomfort. They may appear as baffling, over-sensitive hypocrites to unempathetic men.
In reality women experience more discomfort overall. Biology is not fair in this regard. Naturally, then, women learn to avoid pain when possible. They rightly know that it is not conducive to productive results.
Therefore, women exhibit better taste than men. They exercise very rational, pragmatic control in their selections of environments, partners, etc. They do reasonable vibe checks, and they discover power in judgment.
On a case by case basis, we should all seek to understand our and others' biases regarding comfort. Ideally we incorporate multiple competing perspectives. Avoid overconfidence; there is usually a middle path.
At the very least, we can hope for an attempt to figure it out and course-correct while walking... The best products, architectural sketches, Pixar movies, and U.S. presidential candidates will do so.
The second best ones will simply hew slightly closer to reality than the alternative. They will hide behind "form follows function" rather than fully grappling with and embodying it.
But the alternative, the third best and worst, is nihilism. Function cannot always follow the form of our wishes. As Ben Shapiro likes to mansplain, "Facts don't care about your feelings."
Our blind spot may stem from the benefit, at times, of good results accidentally coming from being an insensitive brute. We then learn to bypass nature's loss function—pain—in favor of principles or logic or some other intellectual goal. We gain exposure to risk, and we discover useful shortcuts to the extent of our tolerance.
On the other hand women, at times, seem not to recognize the necessity of discomfort. They may appear as baffling, over-sensitive hypocrites to unempathetic men.
In reality women experience more discomfort overall. Biology is not fair in this regard. Naturally, then, women learn to avoid pain when possible. They rightly know that it is not conducive to productive results.
Therefore, women exhibit better taste than men. They exercise very rational, pragmatic control in their selections of environments, partners, etc. They do reasonable vibe checks, and they discover power in judgment.
On a case by case basis, we should all seek to understand our and others' biases regarding comfort. Ideally we incorporate multiple competing perspectives. Avoid overconfidence; there is usually a middle path.
At the very least, we can hope for an attempt to figure it out and course-correct while walking... The best products, architectural sketches, Pixar movies, and U.S. presidential candidates will do so.
The second best ones will simply hew slightly closer to reality than the alternative. They will hide behind "form follows function" rather than fully grappling with and embodying it.
But the alternative, the third best and worst, is nihilism. Function cannot always follow the form of our wishes. As Ben Shapiro likes to mansplain, "Facts don't care about your feelings."
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Cancellation Disclaimer: please substitute masculine & feminine archetypes for the words "men" and "women" above, as needed.