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I was just reading a comment that mentions groups of people cutting off feedback such that they're not aware of what's really taking place, and it reminded me of a thought that occurred to me in the last month or so: luxury or making yourself "comfortable" is, at its core, a system for buffering yourself from feedback (especially unpleasant feedback).
Vehicle luxury is actually what set me down this particular train of thought. My current car has almost no shock absorption, making the crappy roads hereabouts a somewhat teeth-clenching experience. On the other hand, I've never liked driving vehicles in which you can't "feel the road", the "I'm sliding along on a cloud" kind of luxury vehicle. Following along with that thought, I realized that it was the feeling of isolation - lack of feedback from the external environment - that made it rather disconcerting in an activity that requires constant adjustment to the environs like operating a high-speed motor vehicle. Feedback, especially unpleasant feedback, is usually an important step in recognizing the need for adjustment - sometimes in order to avoid disaster.
However, I've heard many people indicate a preference for a cocoon-like driving experience, and it's reflected in a lot of vehicle commercials as well. What they are specifically appreciating is the lack of unpleasant feedback of the sort that I'm getting in my car. In truth, some of that feedback is actually detrimental, both to my car AND to my driving. The hard impact without proper absorption is damaging to structural components of the car, the jostling makes it hard to focus on important feedback, and I find myself driving somewhat erratically in order to avoid some of the potholes.
All of this suggests that there is probably an optimal level of feedback somewhere between the extremes of all or nothing (like most things in life). The fairly natural impulse toward greater levels of comfort (i.e., less unpleasant feedback) likely puts many people, myself certainly included, closer to the no-feedback end of the spectrum than is ideal.
I think I really need to stop creating buffers in my life, in the name of being comfortable, and maybe address some root causes of the unpleasant feedback.
Vehicle luxury is actually what set me down this particular train of thought. My current car has almost no shock absorption, making the crappy roads hereabouts a somewhat teeth-clenching experience. On the other hand, I've never liked driving vehicles in which you can't "feel the road", the "I'm sliding along on a cloud" kind of luxury vehicle. Following along with that thought, I realized that it was the feeling of isolation - lack of feedback from the external environment - that made it rather disconcerting in an activity that requires constant adjustment to the environs like operating a high-speed motor vehicle. Feedback, especially unpleasant feedback, is usually an important step in recognizing the need for adjustment - sometimes in order to avoid disaster.
However, I've heard many people indicate a preference for a cocoon-like driving experience, and it's reflected in a lot of vehicle commercials as well. What they are specifically appreciating is the lack of unpleasant feedback of the sort that I'm getting in my car. In truth, some of that feedback is actually detrimental, both to my car AND to my driving. The hard impact without proper absorption is damaging to structural components of the car, the jostling makes it hard to focus on important feedback, and I find myself driving somewhat erratically in order to avoid some of the potholes.
All of this suggests that there is probably an optimal level of feedback somewhere between the extremes of all or nothing (like most things in life). The fairly natural impulse toward greater levels of comfort (i.e., less unpleasant feedback) likely puts many people, myself certainly included, closer to the no-feedback end of the spectrum than is ideal.
I think I really need to stop creating buffers in my life, in the name of being comfortable, and maybe address some root causes of the unpleasant feedback.
